The Reunion by Rachel Wilder and Shelbecat
by Rachel Wilder
Summary: It's been ten years since that fateful Dillon Panther football season when everything changed. Now they're coming home again.
1. Prologue

Reunion

**Reunion  
Prologue**

Jason pulled up in the school parking lot and looked over at the building. Not that much had changed in ten years. He shook his head, reached behind his seat and pulled his wheelchair over onto the passenger seat. He opened the door of the truck, pulled the chair past him and put it on the ground. After ten years he barely thought about the process of getting in and out of vehicles. He popped the seat open, raised the steering column, grabbed the bar on the doorframe and carefully transferred from the seat down into his chair. He moved the brake lever down and headed toward the door.

_Damn you, Lyla Garrity. What have you gotten me into this time?_

* * *

"Okay, I'm just going to be down at the school a couple of hours and Mrs. Anderson's gonna check in here around 9 pm to see if you need anything. You okay with that?"

Tim looked up to make sure that Billy understood.

"Yeah," Billy answered slowly as he turned the TV on. "You're goin' down to the school and I'm stayin' right here and I can call your phone if I need somethin'."

Tim paused for a minute at the mirror next to the door, straightening his tie. "Call me if it's an emergency."

"Have fun with your friends, Timmy," Billy said, not looking away from the TV.

"Yeah," Tim replied as he looked around the room one more time. "I can barely think of something I'd rather do."

* * *

"Why are we even going to this?" Tyra said, turning in her seat. "You didn't even play football and it's not like I was a rally girl or something."

"When else are we going to have a chance to see this many of our old friends in one place," Landry responded. "Plus, I want them to see that I turned out okay."

"You want them to see that you hooked up with a hot babe," Tyra teased.

"Hey, you can't fault me for being proud of you," Landry responded.

"And what about everything else?" Tyra asked, looking at the sleeping form in the back seat of the car.

"That's up to you," Landry answered.

* * *

"Come on, hon. We have got to go," Tami Taylor called from the bedroom.

The toilet flushed as Coach Taylor walked out and quickly washed his hands. He reached up and finished tightening his tie. "You have my jacket out there, babe?"

"Of course," Tami responded. "And if we hurry, we'll have time to drive past the old house."

* * *

"Why did you tell your parents to stay in a hotel?" Matt asked as he pulled a sweater over his shirt.

"Because you got that look on your face the last time they were in Dillon," Julie replied. "The wedding is in four months and I need you to be able to handle maximum Mom and Dad Taylor exposure for that week. I'm not using any of it up for a football reunion."

"Okay," Matt answered as he leaned in to kiss her. "But did you tell them about the job?"

"Nah, I thought we should leave the good news for after the whole sparkling grape juice delight I'm sure we're about to endure."

* * *

"Miss, we're about to land. Would you please put your seat up?"

Lyla Garrity looked up at the flight attendant and smiled. "Of course," she responded as she reached for the seat lever. She took one last deep sip of the white wine she had asked for and handed the glass to the woman. She looked out the window at the lights in the distance. She didn't usually miss Dillon, but for some reason this trip was making her stomach flip.

She had been surprised when the invitation found her in New York. She left it on the kitchen counter for about a week until her regular Sunday night conversation with Jason.

"You going?" she asked.

"I don't know…" Jason had responded.

And before she knew what she was doing, the words were coming out. "We should go. Let's both go."

* * *

Sitting behind and to the left of Lyla, Smash watched her hand over her glass, and then offered up his scotch to the same attendant. He wasn't going to come back, but his agent said it would be good press, and so they'd booked him a last minute ticket that morning. Just his luck he wound up on the same plane as Lyla Garrity.

He braced himself for the landing, leaning back and closing his eyes. All these years flying around the country with his team and he still dreaded the landing. The plane bumped and shimmied and finally came to a skidding halt on the runway.

Smash waited until Lyla had gathered her things, then followed her down the jetway. He hung back to let her go through the arrival doors first. Maybe her family was out there, maybe Jason Street was still all hung up on his high school sweetheart. Either way, once Smash Williams stepped through the doors the place was going to go crazy.

Smash took a deep breath and counted to 10. Then he flashed a winning smile at an ogling security guard and pushed through the doors. Welcome home.

_/tbc/_


	2. Chapter 1

Reunion

**Reunion  
Chapter 1**

**Welcome Back State Champions 2006.**

Tim looked up at the banner fluttering outside the Dillon High gymnasium. He hadn't been back here in 9 years; not since the night he walked across the stage with the graduating class of 2008 and accepted his diploma. Two women walked by him, one nudging the other and whispering as they passed. Tim would bet money on what they were saying.

_Tim Riggins, remember? Caught that winning pass. _

It was the same story they'd been telling in Dillon for 10 years. Then it would be followed by the inevitable 'what he was doing now' and everyone in town knew exactly what that was—same thing he was doing in 2008, same thing he'd be doing when they met again in another 10 years.

He closed his eyes and steeled himself for what lay ahead. Rally girls still looking to marry the football player of their dreams, ex-players with jerseys stretched over the beginnings of beer guts. Tim had chosen a suit jacket and tie, or more correctly, Julie Taylor had seen him in Dillards and made a point of saying how she had to pick out a tie for Matt. Then, without making him feel like an idiot, she'd helped him pick out something to wear. Fashion had never been his strong suit.

Tim reached up and loosened the knot, stuffing the tie in his pocket. He undid his top button and stepped forward. His foot caught on a rock and rolled slightly; pain shot through his knee, racing up his thigh and down his calf, burning all the way. He stopped, took a breath and waited for the pain to settle to a dull roar. He was used to it, an old injury that had healed as much as it ever would.

_Billy opened the truck door, nudging Tim's foot._

_"Come on man, you're drivin'."_

_Tim was sleeping, or at least trying to; the sun was rising fast over last night's Graduation party scene and his head felt like he'd been drinking for three days. He stared up at Billy framed in the doorway, looking just as drunk as he had the night before._

_"Move over," Billy said, pushing Tim's legs to the floor._

_Reluctantly, Tim rose up, hauling his body across the sticky vinyl. Billy climbed in beside him, dropping his head back against the seat and closing his eyes. Tim squinted as he turned the key, what time was it anyway?_

_Heat rose in waves from the black tarmac, the road back to Dillon shimmying in the early morning sun. Billy was snoring on the seat beside him and Tim's eyes were drooping. He blinked, slowly, again, then snapped his head up and stared at the horizon. There was nothing ahead of him for miles, just straight road melting in the heat. His eyes dropped again and when he snapped up, he was headed across the yellow line. Tim jerked the wheel, veered back into his lane and out the other side, skimming the edge. He gained control, set his truck back on a straight path, then let his hand slip, just enough to catch the edge of the pavement and they were flying._

_The truck bounced on the gravel and hit a small boulder. Tim remembered gripping the wheel, fighting to fix it even as the truck hit its side and rolled over._

_When they finally stopped moving, the only sound was hissing steam and Billy's moan. Tim looked at his brother, slumped on the seat, a single trickle of blood making its way down from his hairline, across his cheek, and dripping off his chin._

_He tried to move, tried to reach out to Billy, but he was trapped. He looked down at the dash of the truck, now squashed onto his legs, pinning him to the seat. At the top of his left thigh, blood was spreading, darkening his jeans as he stared. _

Tim shook off the pain and stepped determinedly toward the school. Inside, two women who he didn't recognize at all immediately recognized him and handed him a plastic name tag proclaiming #33, Tim Riggins. Tim fingered the badge—33, forever associated with his name. It wasn't like they'd retired his number, but no player on the Senior team had worn 33 since him, and he wondered if anyone ever would.

A hand touched him lightly on the arm, snapping him out of his reverie. It was Julie, with Saracen, her arm intertwined with Matt's.

"You going in?" she asked.

Tim fastened his name tag to his lapel. "Do I have a choice?"

Saracen smiled with the same goofy grin he'd had since high school. "Buddy asked us to wait for Smash, team captains, you know."

Tim scoffed. "Walk in there with the famous Brian Williams?" He took a step toward the open doors of the gym. "If I'm going in, it won't be in Smash's shadow."

He walked through the entryway, his eyes flicking from face to face as people turned to see which of the long-lost heroes had returned home. Most turned away quickly, Tim Riggins was no hero in Dillon. He fiddled with the hem of his jacket, scanning the crowd for a friendly face. Then Saracen entered behind him and applause rippled through the room. Tim turned, watching Julie's proud face, then stepped aside as the Homecoming King and Queen of 2008 passed.

"Stay close, we'll protect you," Julie whispered as she passed, her smile warm.

Tim hesitated for a moment, then, realizing his options were limited to Matt and Julie or no one, followed them towards the bar. For the first time in a long time he wished that he hadn't quit drinking.

* * *

"I wasn't sure if he'd come," Matt said quietly as he tipped his head down toward Julie's.

Julie Taylor smiled back. "None of y'all will be able to stay away. You all want to say you've moved on and you have, but that first championship, after what happened with Jason—you know that one is special."

Matt nodded. She was right. They'd won it all the next three years in a row, but that first one had been so sweet. After that it was never quite as much fun—they'd had nowhere to go but down.

_"I don't want my daughter limiting her options because of some boy she met when she was fifteen years old. If y'all are really in love, you'll be fine with a little distance."_

_Matt looked across the table at the coach—the man who had been more of a father to him over the past three years than his own dad. And he understood what Coach was saying and he agreed with him._

_"But, Daddy, I want to go to SMU with Matt. I'm not limiting myself. It's a good college and I'll have all of those opportunities you're so worried about," Julie pointed out._

_"It is a good school, Eric. And she has a scholarship, which makes it affordable for us," Tami offered._

_"But…but what about Texas Tech?" Coach asked._

_Even after all this time, after all the years he'd proved his loyalty to Julie, never breaking her heart, never dating, or even kissing, another girl, Coach Taylor still saw it as his job, and his alone, to protect his baby girl. Sometimes Matt feared he'd always be a replacement—a poor substitute for Coach taking care of Julie himself._

_Julie shot him a harsh look. "It's time for me to start my own life."_

_"I'm just saying…" her father began._

_"Just 'cause you and Mom are moving to Lubbock does not mean I'm going with you and you know that SMU is a better school," Julie responded._

_"We met in high school and went to college together," Tami pointed out. "That didn't turn out so bad for us."_

_Mrs. Taylor had his back, or Julie's, and he wanted what Julie wanted. It was three-on-one but Coach never backed down from a losing battle. He sat back in his chair and crossed his arms on his chest. Oh no, Matt thought. Here it comes; the 'I'm still your father, young lady' speech._

_"You're not getting married until you graduate," Eric stated._

_Matt's mouth dropped. Who said anything about marriage?_

_Julie jumped up and ran over to hug her dad. "Of course not, Daddy. And we'll even wait until next year to get an apartment!"_

_He smiled as he watched Julie beaming in her father's arms. All he wanted was to make that girl happy, and if keeping his mouth shut and letting Julie lead her father around to their way of thinking was what it took, then he was on board. Matthew Saracen liked being a hero on the field all right, but he'd learned long ago that Julie was the hero in their relationship, and most days he was just fine with that. _

"I wonder where your parents are," Matt said, looking around the room.

"I don't know. Mom said they were leaving Denton first thing this morning, so they should be here," Julie replied. "I'll be right back. Keep an eye out for them."

Julie headed down the hall toward the ladies room. She stopped for a moment and leaned against the wall. Matt watched as she grimaced slightly, then kept walking. He'd noticed her do that earlier this week, and again this morning, but when he asked if she was okay, the answer was 'yes' each time. She wasn't okay, he could feel it, but he had to wait for her to tell him what was wrong. He hoped it would be soon.

* * *

Julie pressed her hand to her abdomen. The pain had been more frequent in recent weeks, ever since the doctor had given her the news. Was it possible that knowing about it made it worse?

She pushed into the washroom. A girl passed her and shot her a warm smile. Julie felt her head spin. Did she know her? Was she an old friend from math? An old enemy from dance troop? Julie smiled weakly in return and rushed toward an empty stall.

Ignoring the protests of the long line of women she'd cut in front of, Julie collapsed onto the toilet seat and closed her eyes. Her forehead was slick with sweat, her stomach pulsing with pain. She took deep, slow breaths, waiting for the pain to pass. It always did, always came on sudden and sharp and then faded, slowly, until there was nothing left but the memory.

_Her doctor closed her file and leaned gently on the desk. "I'm sorry Julie. It's not news I like to give my patients, but you have to prepare yourself for the possibility. You may never be able to have children."_

_Julie looked out the window, tears clouding her vision. Her and Matt hadn't seriously discussed it, not yet; they were too focused on getting married and settling into their post-college, working lives, but it was something she'd always wanted. And she knew he wanted kids too. And now?_

_"But what about treatments? Can't we do something?" She looked at her doctor tearfully. Her doctor who'd treated her all through high school and who she'd come back to when her and Matt had returned to Dillon after college. Julie trusted her, she was more like a good friend than a medical professional, but now, looking at Dr. Collins sitting across the desk, Julie felt like she was looking at a monster. The bearer of horrible news._

_"There are some treatment options, but honestly, and I'm not just saying this Julie, you need to mentally prepare yourself for this not working. We could spend years attacking this and the end result will likely be the same."_

_Julie bit her lip, tried to bury the sob that was rising in her throat. Her shoulders shook and her face crumpled. "I can't…" she sobbed, fighting to get the words out. "I can't just give up." She looked up at her doctor, pleading with tear-filled eyes. "Please, don't…don't give up on me. I want to try. I want to try everything."_

_"Julie…"_

_"No. That's my decision. That's it."_

_"Don't you think you should discuss this with Matt? He deserves…"_

_"No. Not…not yet." Julie wiped her eyes, slowly regaining her composure. "I'll tell him. Of course. This is too important. But we have the wedding and his job and my parents will be visiting..."_

_Her parents, her mother—oh God, she wanted her Momma more in that minute than she had ever wanted her before. She'd tell them all later, well, maybe just her Momma and Matt, her Daddy wouldn't be too comfortable with the girl-problems topic. After the wedding, or at least after the reunion. She needed to get through the next few months without everyone worrying about her. Let them focus on all the other exciting events and then later, when they were married and settled, they could worry about a family._

_She looked back at her doctor. "Whatever we need to do, I want to get started right away. But don't tell Matt. I'll tell him later, when I'm ready." _

The pain in her stomach was fading, leaving Julie breathless and tense, but pain-free. She stood up and flushed the toilet, just to provide a reason for being there, then exited the bathroom. A girl she actually did recognize seized upon her immediately and she was swept into a hug with her and two others.

This was a happy time. A reunion of old friends who'd been there from the beginning. Through the first championship season in Dillon's winning streak, when Jason had been hurt and Matt had risen to the challenge. When Tim and Smash were leading the team and her Daddy was fighting to prove himself on the sidelines. It was a time of good friends and good memories and Julie just wanted to soak it all up. Forget about everything else and what waited for her when this weekend was over.

She exited the bathroom with the girls, then left them and made her way back to Matt. Her parents were there now, her dad laughing and clapping Matt hard on the shoulder, her mom looking radiant on her father's arm. Matt caught her eye and smiled. Julie felt her heart swell. She loved that man more today than she ever had, and she wanted to be perfect for him. She wanted to give him the perfect family life he'd never had, he deserved that much.

Shaking the sadness from her thoughts, she half-ran to meet her parents, hugging into her mom and letting her dad lift her just a little off the floor. Still his little girl, still, after all these years. Julie smiled as her father released her, then leaned close into Matt's embrace. This was her family. Her support. And when she was ready, she would tell them and let them help her with this. She just had to be ready first.

_/tbc/_


	3. Chapter 2

Reunion

**Reunion  
Chapter 2**

"Darlin'! You look beautiful!" Tami said as she turned toward her daughter, tucked in Matt's strong arm. "And you are also looking very handsome, Matt. Did you pick that tie out yourself?"

Matt laughed. "Heck, no. I'll let you in on a little secret, Mrs. T. Julie dressed me and Riggins tonight. It was her service to the 2006 Panthers."

Matt and Julie kept talking to Eric as Tami closed her eyes and breathed it all in—it was like they had never left Dillon all those years ago. The high school still looked, felt—heck, smelled the same as when she'd walked in her first day as the guidance counselor.

She glanced around the room. Some faces looked so familiar and then there were some that she hoped were spouses because she had no idea who they were. She smiled at one player, a linebacker, Bradley something?

In the twenty-seven years she and Eric had been married, they had moved ten times. The move to Dillon had seemed like just another job, another team—at first. But then there had been Jason's injury, and the season with so many ups and downs and finally that first elusive championship. The calls from colleges started before that first season had even finished and they never stopped for the three years they had stayed in Dillon. But she and Eric had promised Julie there would be no more moves until high school was over.

She married Eric Taylor knowing that it would always be about football—about the lights on Friday night, but she would never have been able to predict how he would put his family first when those calls first began to come.

By the time they won the third championship, and Matt and Julie were graduating, it was time to go. The job as offensive coordinator at Texas Tech seemed like the best way to get into the big time. After that, there were two national championships at the Division II school in Oklahoma and then they came back to Texas, to the head coaching job at Northern Texas.

But Dillon was where it all really began—where their daughter fell in love and where Tami had finally figured out what she was supposed to do with her life. The guidance counselor position had seemed like a good way to use her degree in psychology, but it had ended up being so much more. Following Eric from college to college had slowed her progress down a bit, but she would defend her dissertation in two weeks and already had an offer to join a counseling practice in Denton.

"Hey, babe," Tami said, trying to get Eric's attention. "Is that Tim Riggins over there?" She pointed to where Tim was standing against the wall, looking like he'd rather be anywhere else in the world. "I'm going to go see how he's doing."

Eric nodded and she headed toward the former fullback. Tim Riggins—the last of her major Dillon projects. She hadn't seen him for years.

* * *

"Landry Clarke."

Landry watched the woman at the registration desk scan the list of names before her.

"Sorry." She looked up. "Did you say Clarke?"

Landry sighed. Beside him Tyra snickered and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Yes, Clarke. Landry Clarke." The woman looked back at her list, then up at Landry, more confused than ever.

He turned to Tyra. "It wasn't a bad dream. I really was invisible in high school."

Tyra smiled. "Come on, you've got to be on there."

"Oh, I'm on there," Landry replied. He turned back to the woman. "Look under 'Guests of Matt Saracen'."

"Oh, hon, why didn't you say so?" the lady drawled. One quick flick of her finger down the page and she found him. She handed him a name tag—Landry Clarke, Guest of Matt Saracen.

"Why am I not surprised?" Landry muttered as he attached his name tag. "It's not like I drove him to every early practice, and went to every game, and quietly supported him from the sidelines while he pursued his dream." He looked up at the gymnasium entryway. "Oh hallowed halls of high school, how I have not missed you."

Tyra giggled and reached out to straighten his tie. "And now you have fame and fortune far beyond anything anyone in this town ever dreamed about."

Landry frowned playfully. "Far beyond Smash Williams, or Jason Street?"

"Well," Tyra said as she brushed an invisible wrinkle from his suit jacket. "None of them can claim to be heading toward the Country Music Hall of Fame, now can they?"

Landry placed a hand on Tyra's waist and moved her toward the doorway. "You just want me to take you to the Grand Ole Opry. You know they let anyone in there, right?"

Tyra paused just outside the door and gave Landry a deep kiss on his cheek. "Yes, but they don't let just anyone on stage."

_Landry took a seat in the greasy diner down the block from his boarding house. One month out of Dillon and he was down to the last five dollars of his food budget. He'd resisted coming in here until now; the sagging curtains and broken lights in the sign didn't exactly advertise fine dining. But it was probably cheap, and Landry didn't have the bucks to be picky about his food, although whether it qualified as actual food was debatable._

_He fingered the greased-smudged menu—he could afford a small fries and a cup of coffee, or a piece of pie and a glass of water. What happened to the affordable all-American diner? He tossed the menu on the table and leaned back in his booth. When the choices were dire, you had to go with the pie. Maybe his waitress would throw in the coffee._

_Landry looked up as a waitress approached. He blinked as he took in the tall, blonde girl. No…no way._

_"Tyra?"_

_Tyra stared blankly at him for a minute, then a smile broke across her tired face. "Landry!"_

_Landry stood up quickly, knocking his knees against the underside of the table. He gathered Tyra in a hug, immediately noticing how thin she was. His hand lingered on her protruding shoulder blade before he reluctantly released his hold._

_He stepped back and smiled. "Hey! How have you been? I haven't seen you since…since you graduated."_

_She was still beautiful, but he could tell that time had not been kind to her. She was only a year ahead of him in school, had only left Dillon 12 months before him, but she looked worn-down, like someone had taken all the good stuff and left only the damaged bits behind._

_She stared at him for a moment, with a small, half-smile on her face, then gestured for him to sit down. With practiced movements she reached out, flipped his coffee cup over on the saucer and filled it with steaming coffee from the pot she held._

_"I'm good, you know," she said softly. She smiled at him again. "God. It is so good to see you. Really."_

_Landry beamed. It was amazing to see her. He'd tried to lock his unrequited love for her up in a box when she'd left Dillon, but it was useless. He still thought about her, and often found himself wondering where she'd ended up. And now here he was, sitting at her table, just drinking coffee, like they'd been friends this whole time._

_"How have you been? God! What are you doing in Nashville?" she asked._

_"Oh, you know, chasing the American dream," Landry replied. He plastered a smile on his face. He'd been here for almost a month and had no job and no prospects to show for it. Making it big in country music apparently took more than sheer willpower, which was about the only thing Landry had left to offer. Truth be told, he was ready to give up and go back to Dillon with his tail between his legs. He'd spend one lazy month of summer hanging out with Matt and Julie and then find a job, some job, in the fall._

_Tyra stared at him, nodding and smiling. "You need pie," she said suddenly._

_Landry watched her walk across the diner, chatting amicably with a few patrons as she paused to refill their coffees. She returned with a piece of apple pie that would clog your arteries and still have fat left over to pad your hips. Placing it on the table, she retrieved two forks out of her apron and dropped into the booth across from him._

_"I think I need a break." She grinned at him and it was infectious._

_Her 15 minute break was over too soon and Landry lingered for as long as he could stretch five dollars, and still tip her something. When he left the diner, he cashed in his one-way bus ticket back to Dillon and paid for another week at the boarding house._

_By the end of the week, he was homeless and penniless and sleeping on Tyra's couch. A month later and they were official roommates. They hadn't lived apart since._

Landry smiled as Tyra hugged Julie. He shook hands with Coach Taylor and Matt, grinning when Saracen pointed at his name tag.

"Hey, I came, didn't I?" Landry grinned. "I'm man enough to admit that I wasn't a huge contributor to the win. Just the practices, and the cheering, and the first official member of the Matt Saracen fan club."

Coach actually laughed out loud at that one. Landry could still remember when Coach called him 'Lance'. Then last Christmas they had all shared a meal together. How much times had changed.

"How was the drive?" Coach asked him.

Landry placed his arm around Tyra's waist. "Good, we almost didn't make it here in time. We had to swing by my Mom's, drop off…" Landry's voice trailed off when he felt Tyra suddenly stiffen in his hold.

He looked at her but she wasn't looking at him, she was looking past Julie, staring at something or someone in the distance. Landry followed her gaze and knew immediately what had happened. Against the far wall, head bowed low, was Tim Riggins.

Landry hugged Tyra quickly and whispered in her ear. "Go."

* * *

Jason wheeled into the school and looked down the hall. He could hear music and voices coming from the gym. His phone beeped and he looked down to see the text message from Lyla.

_Running late. Meet there in 30._

Lyla never changed.

It didn't feel like ten years had passed. Austin was his home now, but it was also the place where he had only been a wheeler. No one in Austin knew QB1 Jason Street. There he was a guy who played quad rugby with one of the better teams in the country, had played on the 2012 Paralympics team and spent his days now trying to help kids pay for college.

"Hey, Jason—how's it going up there in Austin?"

Jason looked up to find his old offensive coordinator standing in front of him. "Things are going great, Mac. Good to see you. How's the family?"

"Good. We moved up to Westerby for a couple of years, but my heart's always been in Dillon. We just bought a little condo down here for the retirement years. It's good to be home."

Westerby. Even after all these years, that word still rang cold in Jason's heart. He smiled at Mac. It was good to see old friends, even if he still felt out of place in Dillon. Especially at the reunion where the football champions were celebrated, not the players that went down in the first game.

"Say, Jason—I'm real proud of what you've been doing. I keep meaning to get up to Austin for one of your benefits, but the wife and I…we wanted to give you this."

Mac held out a check. Jason smiled and reached up for it. Mac slid it in between Jason's fingers and thumb.

"I knew you'd go out there and do something with your life, Jason, but talk about taking lemons and making lemonade—well, even years from now, generations of football players at Dillon, they'll be hearing about Jason Street and hoping they can be half the player and half the man you've become."

And that was the reason why Jason had to come back. He was a part of Dillon's football history, and he was working hard to be part of its future. Not just for players in Dillon, but players everywhere who might not be able to pay for college otherwise. Jason tucked the check in his pouch, shook hands and thanked Mac again for his words and generosity.

It still seemed weird, people walking up to him and giving him money, but the foundation wasn't going to be helping anybody if it didn't keep getting donations. He looked down at his phone again. A missed call from Smash. He still felt weird about hitting up the NFL star, but an appearance by the new star of the New York Jets might be just what their silent auction needed next month. Hopefully Smash would see it the same way.

"Hey, Jason!"

Jason looked up to see a couple Rally girls standing in a bunch. He smiled and waved at them.

"Jason. Good to see you."

Jason pivoted his chair at the sound of the man who had almost become his father-in-law. "Buddy. How are you?"

"Good, Jason, good. Lyla come with you tonight?" Buddy asked.

"Uh…yeah, I think she was at Pam's and then she's meeting me here." He felt like a traitor for already revealing too much.

"You remember Brittany, don't you?" Buddy asked as he slipped his arm around a woman literally young enough to be his daughter.

"Yeah, of course," Jason responded. "Didn't we have biology together?"

Brittany Beck. Lyla had told him about her dad marrying Lyla's cheerleading nemesis, but it seemed so improbable to him—until she was standing right here with Buddy draped all over her.

"Sure did," Brittany responded, smiling slyly. "I always hoped we might be lab partners, Jason."

"Yeah, well…I promised Coach I'd catch up with him before they started the program," Jason said as he began to turn and head away from Buddy and his wife, aka Lyla's worst nightmare. Once he was a safe distance away, he reached for his phone and dialed Lyla. Her voice mail picked up. "Alert. Buddy at the door. Use alternative entrance routes."

They hadn't been together for years, but he still had her back.

He looked up and saw Mrs. Taylor talking to Tim. Tim was standing against the wall, keeping his weight off his bad leg. No one else would notice—no one except Jason, who knew about pain…about not recognizing your body anymore, about everything getting turned upside down in a moment.

_Jason wheeled into Tim's room. They'd let Tyra in first, after much arguing that Tim didn't have any immediate family, and then Coach Taylor had gone in, coming out looking like he'd been in the accident himself. Jason had considered waiting, giving Tim more time just to be alone and process, but every instinct told him to get in there right away. He pushed aside the memory of when he was on the other side of the hospital bed and let friendship take over._

_"Hey," Jason said quietly._

_Tim was really banged up. Cuts on his face, a broken right wrist, bruises all over, and his leg…Jason looked down at Tim's left leg. The doctor's had pieced it back together with pins and screws and it was hanging in traction just above his bed. There'd been talk, about three hours into the surgery, of amputation but there was no one to make that call, only Jason and Coach and Tyra and everyone else from the team who couldn't quite process the fact that they were all back here again, praying for another fallen player._

_Jason had pleaded with Tim's doctor to try and save the leg and Coach had quietly stated that Tim was a kid with a chance. Finally, the doctor relented and disappeared to work his magic. And now here was Tim, facing months of recuperation and then twice that of physical therapy, but maybe, just maybe, he'd walk._

_And that was a chance Jason would fight forever to give him._

_Tim opened the eye that wasn't swollen shut and looked at Jay. Then he closed it again and Jason saw a tear run across his face._

_"Hey, it's okay. You're going to be okay." Jason hoped his words didn't sound as empty as they felt._

_"What…" Tim's voice was hoarse. "Where's Billy?"_

_Damn. Tyra didn't tell him? Or Coach? Jason reached out to find Tim's hand, buried beneath wires and tubes._

_"It's pretty bad, but the doctors think he'll be okay." Jason could fudge the truth a little, Tim would never know._

_Tim's eye opened again and he stared at Jay. Jason held his breath, praying that Tim believed him._

_"The truth, Six."_

_Jason sighed. He never was a good liar. He gripped Tim's hand as hard as he dared. "He's on life support, Tim. I'm so sorry."_

_Tim's face twitched, fighting to hold back the tears. It was pointless. Jason was about the only person Tim would cry in front of and he let it all out now._

_"I fucked up. I fucked up, Jay. I really fucked up."_

_"No, no, no. You didn't. It was an accident. It could have happened to anyone."_

_"I was still drunk." Tim's voice was little more than a whisper. "I knew it. Billy woke me up and I don't think I was even asleep yet." He stared at Jason. "This was me. This was all me."_

_Jason said every kind thing he could think of, whispered every reassurance he had in his head, but it wasn't enough. Tim was responsible, accident or not, he was driving, and Jason knew Tim would never forgive himself for that._

_"I'm sorry, Timmy. I'm so sorry." They sat there for a long time, until finally the morphine kicked in and Tim drifted off to sleep._

* * *

"I'm so proud of you, Tim," Tami was saying as Tyra approached the pair. "You're really making something of yourself."

Tim nodded, looking uncomfortable under the glare of praise. He raised his head and Tyra recognized the exact moment when Tim noticed her. It was like all the years that had built up between them vanished and they were right back in high school, trapped in some janitor's closet feverishly making out like it was their last night on earth.

"Hi, Mrs. Taylor." Tyra spoke to her old guidance counselor but kept her eyes locked on Tim's.

"Tyra Colette! So good to see you!" Tami said.

Tyra nodded, the lump in her throat preventing her from saying anything more. Tim was staring at her so hard he could probably see her heart thumping right through her shirt. She swallowed stiffly.

"Well alright then," Tami said. "So I'll just leave you kids to catch up. And…I'll see y'all later."

Tyra licked her lips nervously. Tim looked exactly the same, long hair curling at his neck, piercing eyes cutting into her. He was leaning hard against the wall, like if he moved, the whole school would collapse.

"I…" Tyra started. My God, she had rehearsed this so many times. She should know what to say.

Then Tim said everything for her. "Where've you been?"

Tyra closed her eyes and breathed in sharply.

_"I'll call Mindy. We can go in a few months, or next year, whenever you're better."_

_Tim stared up at her. Trapped in a hospital bed, Tyra knew he wouldn't be walking anytime soon, and with Billy still in a coma…well he wouldn't be taking any trips out to L.A. to visit Mindy either._

_"You go," Tim said gruffly._

_"No, I'll stay. I bet I can get my job back. No one wants to be a waitress that bad." There was a forced cheerfulness in Tyra's voice and she prayed that Tim couldn't tell._

_But she knew he could. He always could._

_"No, go. When everything gets better…" His voiced trailed off._

_He didn't have to say it. Things were never going to be better. Not really, not exactly like they were before. And she couldn't stay here and be an extra burden to him, he had to take care of Billy now. He wasn't going away to college on a scholarship, and she wasn't going with him like they had planned. There was no room in his life for Tyra and her problems._

_She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. "I'll just go for a little while, okay? Like we planned. And then I'll come back and we'll work things out. We'll make things work."_

_Tim nodded, his eyes closed._

_Tyra's hand lingered on his head, smoothing his hair. He needed to rest, and not worry. She had to take care of him the only way she could. By leaving._

_Leaning in close, she whispered in his ear, "I'll call you when I get there."_

_Then she walked out of his room and never looked back._

"I didn't…I…" She stared at him. He was still staring back; he wouldn't blink first.

"Nashville," she finally answered. "Never quite made it to L.A."

She smiled but it wasn't returned. She could tell that he hated her for leaving, and rightfully so, but it had been the right thing to do. She knew that, she told herself that every morning, but it didn't make seeing him any easier. It didn't make her want to be with him any less.

She tried to douse the fire flaring in her chest. If Tim looked at her shirt any harder her buttons were going to pop off on their own.

"I should…" She gestured over her shoulder to where Landry was standing with Matt and the Taylors. "I'm with Landry. I mean, here with Landry. We live together now."

Tim flicked his eyes away from her, finally. "Landry," he said quietly.

"Yeah." Tyra smiled nervously. "It's good. It's really good. He's been really great to us."

She winced. Dammit.

Tim caught on right away. "Us?"

Tyra thought she was going to faint. She'd held on to the hope that she could avoid this topic for the entire weekend even though she knew it was pointless and not really fair anyway. There was no way out, she couldn't say 'me and my dog'—he wouldn't buy that.

"Yeah." Tyra smiled, trying to soften the blow. "Me and Jake. My son."

_/tbc/_


	4. Chapter 3

Reunion

**Reunion  
Chapter 3**

Smash was late for the meet-and-greet at the school. He'd flown into Dillon late the night before and spent all day Friday hiding in his Momma's house. Reporters were already camped on the sidewalk when he drove up in his rental. His mom said they'd been there all week, just waiting to see if Smash would show. He was used to being recognized, and having reporters in his face, but that was usually after games or at a club in New York City. Not in Dillon where he wanted more than anything to be nobody special.

"Baby? Bridget couldn't make it this time?" his mom asked.

"Nah, it was last minute, you know how it is." Smash leaned against the kitchen counter, watching his mother prepare his favorite home cooked meal, fried chicken and collard greens. Bridge never cooked like that for him. And she was raised in Georgia! Every meal was take-out or a fancy restaurant. Their kitchen looked like a showroom.

"You should bring her back for Christmas. These old bones don't travel like they used to."

Smash nodded, smiling to pacify his mom. He always meant to get back to Dillon more often, but between practices and games and then the off season when Bridget packed his calendar more than his agent did, there was little time. And she made it clear she'd left the south behind her. His family was welcome in New York any time they wanted.

Or at least they had been.

Smash rubbed his face tiredly. "I should probably get to the school."

He glanced out the window at the reporters. "It always this bad?"

"Nah, baby. They're only here 'cause they knew you were coming. They just show up around the big games sometimes, nothing we can't handle. Besides, I kinda like having my picture taken." His mom flashed him a huge smile and Smash grinned.

The upside to fame was making your family happy, and comfortable. And Smash had worked hard to make sure his mother never had to work again. But in the pit of his stomach he knew it was all on the rocks. He never should have let his agent confirm this reunion. He should have stayed in New York and talked some sense into Bridget.

_"Brian?"_

_Oh fuck, oh fuck, fuck, fuck. Smash pushed at the blonde head nestled between his legs. That voice belonged to Bridget; the head between his legs did not._

_He looked up as the bedroom door opened and Bridget, his girlfriend of five years, walked in._

_Smash closed his eyes. He was screwed, and not just literally._

_"Baby, baby please, let me explain," he started._

_Bridget stared for a moment, then slowly reached into her purse and pulled out her cell phone. She snapped it open and took a picture of her naked NFL-star boyfriend with his equally naked companion._

_Then she smiled. "Guess I don't have to marry you now, do I?"_

_Smash watched her leave. She was going to blackmail him for everything he was worth._

_He looked down at the model still resting between his legs: the very cute, very gay, male underwear model that had been giving him blowjobs every Wednesday morning for a month._

_Smash dropped his head back on the pillow and swore. He was fucked._

His mother walked up behind him and gathered him a hug. "What is it baby? You seem distracted."

"Nothin' I can't handle Momma." He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and reached for his jacket. "I gotta go meet Street before this thing gets going. I'll be in late, okay?"

"Sure baby." His mom gave him a big smile. "And remember, I love you."

Smash felt the knot in his stomach tighten. Yeah, but would she love him when she found out? He painted his patented I'm-a-star smile on his face and walked outside. Time to get the show started.

* * *

Lyla walked down the steps. She looked down at the boots on her feet and smiled. There was something about being in Texas that made her accent thicken and her feet crave the sweet comfort of getting back in a pair of real Texas boots.

"You look nice, honey," her mom called from the living room.

Lyla walked in, fingering the necklace hanging down in the V of her shirt. It had been a gift from Jason the year before for Christmas. He had come to New York for a few days after celebrating the holiday in Dillon with his parents. He had tried to make it sound like a casual thing, but he had to know that she was smarting from her dad's Christmas Eve wedding to Brittany Beck. Needless to say, she had not attended, or even RSVP'd.

"You gonna see your daddy tonight?" Pam asked.

"Not if I can help it," Lyla said stiffly. "But, it is the Dillon Panthers, so you know he'll be there and I can't imagine he won't want to show off his latest little trophy."

"I'm so sorry about that, Lyla, but you can think of the bright side," Pam offered.

"What?"

"I bet he's already cheating on her," Lyla's mom retorted.

Lyla laughed, then grew silent. "Yeah, you're probably right."

"I'm sorry, honey—I know he's your daddy," Pam apologized. "I shouldn't say things like that."

"Oh, I think you've earned it, Mom," Lyla replied.

"And what about you? You've had some dates, haven't you?"

A small smile crossed Lyla's face, but she didn't answer.

_"I should head back to my hotel," Jason said as they paused outside the restaurant. He looked up and smiled at Lyla. "This is amazing—the lights, the snow. There's nothing like this in Texas, you know."_

_"Of course I know!" Lyla laughed. "Why do you think I'm still here?" She turned and faced him. "Why don't we go back to my place for a while…"_

_Jason nodded, slowly. "That would be nice."_

_Lyla waved down a cab and they headed back downtown toward her apartment._

* * *

_The doorman opened the cab and waited for Jason to get out. The cab driver hopped out and opened the trunk to get Jason's chair out as Lyla came around the back of the cab._

_"Good evening, Ms. Garrity," the doorman said. "Uh…is your friend coming in?"_

_Lyla paused and looked at him with a confused look on her face. "He is, Sam. Is there a problem with that?"_

_This guy had only been here for a few months, but he had never commented on who she brought back to her apartment before._

_He stepped closer and leaned in toward Lyla as Jason transferred out of the cab and into his chair. "Uh, I have a call in and someone should be here to fix it in a couple of hours, but the elevator isn't running."_

_"Oh," Lyla replied, suddenly understanding his concern._

_"What's up?" Jason asked as he rolled up next to her._

_"The elevator's out," Lyle explained. "I suppose we could go back uptown."_

_"I could help you in," Sam offered._

_"What floor are you on?" Jason asked._

_"Third," Lyla replied._

_"I think we can handle it…Sam," Jason responded, taking the time to read the doorman's name on his tag._

_Lyla followed Jason into the apartment building and back toward the wide staircase up to the apartments. "We're going to handle it how?"_

_"Tell Sam he can bring the chair up," Jason instructed as he carefully lowered himself out of the chair and onto the second step. "Okay, now get between my legs."_

_"Oh, Mr. Street, so forward!" Lyla teased as she stepped between Jason's legs._

_"Okay, grab my legs," Jason said._

_Lyla laughed. "You serious?"_

_"Indeed I am."_

_She picked his legs up, grabbing each one around his knee. Jason moved his right hand behind him from the third step to the fourth._

_"Okay, let's go—it's not elegant, but it will get the job done!" he said as they headed up the steps. "Man, I wish Buddy could see us now—and to think that he was worried we couldn't handle a house with two stories!"_

_Lyla laughed as they moved up the steps toward her apartment._

_At the first landing, Jason groaned and collapsed._

_"Are you okay?" Lyla asked as she sat down next to him. "Do you need me to call Sam?"_

_"Nah," Jason said as he wiped a spot of sweat from his forehead. "I've been working out, remember?"_

_Lyla looked at the strong, confident man in front of her. It was hard to remember the Jason who was so broken and defeated in those first months._

_"You've changed," she said, running her hand down his arm. "It's like you're okay in your skin again."_

_"Yeah," Jason replied. "Years ago, when I got cut from that first national team, Herc told me I had to get comfortable in the chair. Now, I can't really imagine what my life would have been like without it."_

_Lyla leaned in and kissed Jason, her lips caressing his. He held the kiss, then broke away, smiling at her._

_"We'd better keep going or it'll be morning before we get upstairs."_

"Well, it'll be nice to see some old friends," Pam said, breaking into Lyla's memory. "I expect Tim and Jason will be there."

"Yeah, they will," Lyla replied.

_"I was going to share a little wine with you, but now I'm going to have to drink the whole bottle," Lyla joked as they finally reached the landing outside her door. "Honestly, in this amount of time we could have gone back up to your hotel and been sharing a nice drink."_

_"But you would have missed out on the adventure," Jason teased._

_She laughed. She did date, but she never felt with any guy like she'd felt with Jason—heck, how she still felt with Jason. It had been years since she left Austin, but there was something about being with him that always felt right._

_"Come here," Jason ordered as he settled back into the wheelchair that Sam had delivered. "Please," he added._

_Lyla smiled and walked over. Jason took her hand and pulled her slowly toward him. She leaned in and he softly kissed her. She sat down on his lap and began kissing him more deeply, her hand slipping inside his sweater, touching all of his sensitive spots._

_"We'd better get inside," Jason said. "We don't want to get kicked out of the joint. Well, at least not before they fix the elevator!"_

_Lyla got up and headed toward the door, pulling her keys from her purse. She paused and looked back at Jason. It wasn't something either of them had planned, but she knew there was a little part of her that had hoped this was what Jason had been thinking of when he called and said he was coming to visit._

_She pushed open the door and moved aside so he could come inside. "Bathroom's down the hall. My room is at the end."_

"I wish you'd come home more," Pam said as Lyla leaned over to pick up her coat and purse. "I miss you, honey."

"Come to New York," Lyla responded.

"You know I don't like the city," her mom answered, sighing. "Well, have a good time tonight and say hi to Jason."

Lyla nodded and leaned in to kiss her mom on the cheek. "See you later, Mom."

* * *

Jason kept smiling and nodding at people as they walked by and greeted him. There was no hiding in the chair.

A crowd began to form at the door and then everyone started clapping. He turned to look down the hall. It could only mean one thing—the arrival of hometown hero, Brian "Smash" Williams.

He just hung back, watching. There was a flash of realization that it could have been him—playing for Notre Dame, going high in the draft, still playing in the NFL. Still playing football. Jason shifted in his chair and leaned forward. To be honest, he didn't think about it that often, but sometimes the memories, the "what ifs" just cut in like an ice pick.

Jason sipped his drink, watched the aging Rally Girls flock to Smash like mosquitoes to a torch. Eventually the cloud parted and Smash moved in his direction.

"Street," he said warmly, holding his palm out for Jason to slap. "Man, it has been too long."

"It has, it has." Jason smiled up at his old halfback. They'd come up through the ranks together, played JV and Varsity. They were supposed to be sure-shots for scholarships, paths paved to the NFL. Instead Jason ended up playing quad rugby with an Austin club team and Smash just kept following his stars.

"So how's life in the big leagues? The Jets? That's impressive."

"Ah, you know how it is man; they offer you the big bucks when you're a bright, shiny star." Smash plucked at his shirt, ego bursting right through the fabric.

Jason knew it was all for show, Smash had always been for show, but it still stung a little.

"Actually, I don't know." Jason tried to keep a smile on his face. "Going pro? That's gotta be sweet."

"Nah, man, it is, it is." Smash dropped down nearer the floor. "Street, let me give it to you straight. It's a sweet ride, until you make one mistake. Then they got you by the balls. Trust me man, you don't need the hassle."

Jason stared at Smash. He was supposed to be happy, just signed a big contract to take him through the next two years. But there was regret in his voice. A touch of bitterness.

Smash continued, "Anyway, aren't you the big Olympic athlete now?"

Jason smiled and nodded. "Yeah, it's a good gig, for a couple of months every four years."

Smash laughed.

"But I have this foundation that I run now. A scholarship program. It keeps me busy when I'm not playing."

"Yeah, my agent said you left a message about that. What you need, Street? Smash'll hook you up."

"If you could make an appearance at this charity auction we're having in New York next month?" Jason held his breath.

Smash looked like he was going to say no, then a slow smile broke across his face. "Damn. That all? I thought you was gonna ask me for money!"

"Well I might, yet!"

The two old friends shared a laugh.

"Sure man, whatever you need," Smash said. "What's this foundation about, anyway?"

"It provides scholarships to athletes who got hurt in high school, lost their full ride, or even just their chance." Jason pursed his lips. "I, uh, I just wanted to give kids who were supposed to become something great, that chance, you know?"

Smash was quiet. He nodded and looked Jason straight in the eye. "You don't want other people to lose out like you did?"

Jason blushed and looked away. "Nah, I went to college. Paid my dues! Just, other people, you know."

Jason looked off across the room, staring at Tim standing firm against the wall.

Beside him Smash stood up and followed his gaze. He whistled low under his breath. "Riggs know about this?"

Jason shook his head. "It's no secret what I do, but I've never told him. I doubt Tim follows the news out of Austin."

"I doubt Tim watches the news. Period."

Smash laughed and Jason joined in again. Beside them, Buddy Garrity waved and started walking toward them and then got swept up in another conversation.

"Save yourself, man," Jason cautioned. "He married some girl from my year. You do not want to meet the new Mrs. Garrity."

"Good advice man, I'm outta here. Keep it real, kay?"

"Yeah, I'll catch up with you later."

Jason watched Smash walk away, then smiled as he saw Buddy zoning in on Coach Taylor. He pivoted around and went to call Lyla again. She had to get here soon.

* * *

Eric Taylor looked around at the room full of his former players. Some of them looked like they could slip back onto the field in top form, like his soon to be son-in-law, and others probably hadn't touched a football in years, like Tim Riggins. He glanced over at his wife chatting with Tim. Jason Street was talking to Smash Williams. He couldn't be more proud of either one and all they'd done since high school. Eric never felt right about losing touch with his old team, his first championship team, but it was the way things happened. With Julie and Matt in Dallas, there'd been no reason to keep up on the happenings of Dillon, and over time, the memories had faded.

"So Daddy, Matt wants to tell you something."

Eric looked at his daughter, so grown up, so old. She made him feel old. Julie was smiling and hanging off Matt's arm. They'd be married soon and he'd lose her, or his claim to her. Julie Saracen. Eric blinked and tried to concentrate on what Matt say saying.

"Maybe we should wait for your Mom. Tam…M-M-Mrs. Taylor would want to hear."

Eric felt a little jump in his stomach. What did they have to tell him that Tami needed to hear? Grandbabies? Oh Lord, he wasn't ready for his baby to have a baby.

He shifted, plopped his hands on his hips and leaned in. It was his 'I'm the Coach, now spill' position and it had worked on Matt every time.

"Just what is it you have to tell me, son?"

Julie jumped in, ever the protector. "Calm down, Dad. It's good news. Matt has a job." Her voice squeaked on the last word, excitement evident on her face.

Eric sighed silently. Good. No grandbabies…yet.

"Um, yeah, it's uh, it's…QB coach. Here." Matt stuttered and stammered, his face reddening as he tried to speak.

Eric smiled to ease Matt's nervousness. "Here? In Dillon?"

Matt's mouth opened and shut quickly. Like a fish.

"Here, at school. I'm the Panthers' QB Coach."

Eric felt his smile grow, reaching all the way up to his eyes. It felt like a legacy, like passing the torch to his child. He clapped Matt hard on the back, smiling so big he couldn't speak.

"You're happy?" Julie asked, laughing at the absurdity of the question.

"It's a good job, son," Eric said. "And this town can be tough, but they'll pull you through. Every time." He grinned and clapped Matt's back again.

Matt reached an arm around Julie's shoulders. "I hope so, sir. I hope so." He smiled at his bride-to-be. "We want to settle in for a bit, then get a house. And maybe start a family."

Eric grinned and nodded. Perfect. Marriage, house, babies—just like it should be. He reached out to hug Julie, feeling her stiffen in his hold, but shrugging it off. This was good news, and he was happy for them.

They'd settle in Dillon and there'd be reason to return more often. He felt an ease settle in his stomach, his old comfort level returning. He'd proved himself here. Made a name for himself when it could have gone either way. He could walk in a room and not wonder if people were judging him, wondering if he was the right coach, if he was a good coach.

"Eric!"

Eric cringed at the booming voice. There was one person who would always question his dedication to football, his willingness to go the distance for his team. Her pushed a smile through gritted teeth and turned around.

"Buddy. Good to see you."

He looked at the trinket hanging on Buddy's arm. She didn't look a day older than Julie. He felt his stomach squirm a little at the thought of it.

"So, how is life treating you up there in Denton?" Buddy asked.

"Good, Buddy," Eric responded as he looked around the room trying to catch the eye of someone else, anyone else. He traded looks with Jason Street, but Jason just smiled and shook his head 'no' while he laughed.

"I hope they gave you a decent car to get around in," Buddy said. "Division I head coach. It's hard to believe that you were right here in little ole Dillon only ten years ago."

"Yeah, it's a nice car," Eric replied, running his hand up in his hair.

"And you're going to be joining us up at the school," Buddy said, suddenly turning his high beams on Matt.

"Uh, yeah," Matt stammered.

"Brittany will be wanting to sign you up for the book club, I assume," Buddy said as he smiled at Julie.

"Uh, great," Julie said. "I'll, uh, look forward to that."

"You know, Buddy, I've got a lot of people to catch up with," Eric said as he began walking away.

"That's fine, Eric. I'll just get caught up here with Coach Saracen."

_How could you?_ Julie shot a silent message at her dad. He smiled and shrugged his shoulders. With Buddy Garrity it was each man for himself.

* * *

"You know, I'd expect a little bit more from one of my former QB1s," Eric said as he passed a bourbon and coke over to Jason.

"Well, I was only your QB1 for part of one game," Jason responded. "Plus, it looked like you were having a good time with Mr. Garrity."

"Oh, you're a funny one, son," the coach replied.

"Plus, I've already had my Buddy Moment of the Night," Jason offered. "Just think, I could have been facing that every Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter Sunday."

Coach Taylor shuffled his feet and looked at the ground, not sure how to take Jason's comment. "You see Lyla much?" he finally asked.

"We stay in touch. I'm expecting her any minute," Jason said. "She went over to see her mom."

"Good to hear, son. Well, I had better get in there and press a little more flesh or those Rally Girls will be looking for me."

Eric turned and headed toward the door to the gym, pausing to look back one more time at his former quarterback. It had been ten years, but he would never get that image of Jason putting his head down and going into that kid from Westerby. Tami had told him again and again that it wasn't his fault, but he would never totally absolve himself of feeling that in some way he had ruined that kid's life.

_/tbc/_


	5. Chapter 4

Reunion

**Reunion  
Chapter 4**

Matt handed Julie a glass of red wine and leaned in to kiss her cheek. He pulled back in surprise when she shied away from him.

"Julie?"

She was clearly upset, mouth set in a thin line, clutching her purse to her chest tightly.

"I can't drink this," she said sharply, handing the glass of wine back to him. "I'm driving, remember?"

He shrugged. "It's just half a glass."

"Well I don't want it."

Okay, the train had just rushed through the station and Matt was standing on the platform gaping after it. Something had pissed her off and he had no idea what.

He laid the wine down on a table next to them and reached for her arm. She stiffened beneath his touch. "What's wrong? Did I do something?"

Julie sighed loudly and looked away, then glanced back and shot him a deathly glare. "Why did you say that to Dad?"

Matt replayed the conversation with Eric over in his head. They'd talked about his job, and Dillon…

"About having kids," Julie said. "About starting a family. You know he's going to be all over me about getting pregnant and giving him grandkids."

"Julie, whoa." Matt narrowed his eyes, shaking his head slightly. All he'd said was they wanted to start a family some day. She was this worked up over one little statement? "We talked about having kids. Someday. In the future. In the far future when we are ready. I never said anything about having them tomorrow."

"Well, you know, it's not easy to just—poof—have kids." Julie snapped her fingers at him. "Not everyone can just get pregnant and then there's raising them and feeding them and it's a huge responsibility and I don't know if I'm ready." She leveled her gaze at him. "Are you ready?"

"Stop it," Matt hissed, looking around at the few heads that had turned towards them. "You're crazy. I never said anything about how easy or hard it was to have kids, I just said we wanted them. We want them, right?"

Julie huffed. "You know, Matt, I don't know. I just don't know."

She was challenging him. He knew it, and yet he was completely sucked in. His stomach was flipping and twisting and every fiber in his being told him to change the subject, or better yet, just stop talking and let her calm down.

But he couldn't. He loved her too much to just leave it with her upset.

"I want to have kids with you, Julie. I want to start a family with you. Is that what you want to hear? Do you need me to tell you how badly I want it?"

His fiancée stared at him, bottom lip flicking between her teeth.

"No Matt. As a matter of fact, that is exactly what I don't want."

"What? Julie? What does that mean?" He didn't get it. He tried to predict what she wanted, tried to give her everything she asked for, and then she threw curveballs like this at him.

He reached out to hold her arm but she jerked and pulled away from him. Then she was smiling suddenly, plastering a fake smile on her face and greeting someone who enveloped her in a hug.

Matt smiled weakly at the intruder. "Hey Smash."

"Saracen, baby, what you been up to? Tell the Smash all about the fabulous nightlife in Dillon, Texas?"

Matt bowed his head, shirking away from Smash's hand clasped on his shoulder. Julie wasn't looking at him, instead focusing on her purse strap, twisting it around and around her fingers.

"It's fine," he said to Smash distractedly.

Then he turned back to Julie. "Jules?" He tried to break through the wall she had erected between them and reach her, a desperate attempt to understand what he'd done.

"You know what?" Julie had a bright smile on her face now, eyes shining with unspent tears. "I think you two need to catch up. So I'm gonna go, and you just…relate."

She shot Matt a look that said if he knew what was good for him, he would stay here with Smash.

Matt ignored it and moved to follow her.

"Julie, wait."

Her voice was tense when she spoke. "I'm going to find my parents. You stay here, Matt. Stay here and be with your friends. I'll…I'll see you at home."

Matt watched her walk away, cringing when Smash stepped up to him again.

"All these years and you still haven't got the lady-troubles figured out. Saracen? We got some talkin' to do."

Eyeing Smash warily, Matt shook his head. He cast one glance back at Julie who was pushing through the gym doors, determined that he not follow. He sighed and shot Smash a tentative smile. Just give her time. She'd come around and explain it all when she was ready. He just had to give her time.

He took a long sip of his beer. He just hoped when she finally decided to tell him what was wrong; it wasn't too late for both of them.

* * *

Lyla slipped into the gym through the cheerleading practice room. Jason had warned her about avoiding her father, and she could do without the deer in the headlights moment of walking through the balloon-decorated entryway anyway. It was a parade of champions, or failures, depending on which side of the proverbial coin you'd ended up on. Most days she thought herself a winner, she had a good job, an overpriced apartment in New York City, but back in Dillon she was no one special and all the praise she reaped in her successful career didn't quash the hometown feeling of just not measuring up.

_Lyla sat across from Jason and stared at the envelope._

_"You have to go. If you don't, I'll never forgive you," Jason said._

_"I don't want to go. I don't want to leave you," she pleaded._

_Jason pushed the envelope back toward her. "Lyla, it's a great opportunity for you and you need to get out of Texas. This year in Austin has been great and I love you, but I want more for you. I don't want you hanging out here, pulling my rugby chair out of the back of the truck and wondering what happened to the rest of your life. I want you to go and do something for yourself."_

_"UT is a good school," Lyla responded. "I'm learning a lot here."_

_"It's not Columbia and it's not an internship and it's not a new start—not really," Jason shot back._

_"But I love you, Jason and after everything else we've gone through, I won't choose to leave you," Lyla said, her eyes filling with tears._

_"I can get on a plane," Jason replied. "Granted, it's not easy, but I can get on a plane and come and see you and you will eventually come back here. I love you too and I love you enough to tell you to go and take this chance for yourself. You deserve to do something for you, Lyla Garrity."_

_"But we'll talk, too?" Lyla asked, the tears coming harder now._

_"Every Sunday night," Jason answered._

She found Jason quickly, sitting with a couple of former players against the back wall, holding a drink and looking bored. She approached slowly, grinning when he finally noticed her and his face lit up. Every time she saw him she got that little jump in her stomach--the little surge that told her she was still in love with this man

"You look amazing," he whispered into her hair as she leaned down to hug him.

"You don't look so bad yourself, Mr. Olympian," she replied.

Jason blushed. "You've got to stop calling me that."

"I'll stop when you stop carrying your medal everywhere you go."

"I do not carry it everywhere I go," he protested.

She bent down to his level and slipped her hand along his leg. Reaching for his pocket, she winked when she felt the solid object through the thin material. "You're such a jock."

He grinned. "That's why you love me."

Lyla smiled, but her chest was heavy. Love. Jason hadn't told her he'd loved her, and really meant true love in eight years. And still, if he ever happened to say it jokingly, she was slammed back to 2008, saying goodbye to him at the airport in Austin, promising that they would stay in touch, try to make it work.

But of course, like most long distance relationships, the passion had faded in time. She was swept up in the action of New York City and barely had time to see her momma, let alone Jason. But she did make time for him every Sunday night. Faithfully, for almost nine years, they had spoken to each other once a week.

Her friend, Maggie, said Jason's phone calls were the reason she hadn't had a date in two years. Why she hadn't slept with anyone in three. But Maggie didn't know about Jason's visit to New York, how they'd spent the last three days of that vacation locked in her apartment. That had been over three months ago and they'd never really talked about what that meant for them or even if it meant anything.

Lyla stood up and glanced around the room. There were so many familiar faces, and so many strangers. She looked back down at Jason. She didn't want him to become a stranger.

"So is everyone here?" she asked.

"Mostly, I think. I just talked to Coach and Smash."

The two most famous attendees. She was glad she'd seen Smash the day before, gotten the star struck moment out of the way in private. "I'm sure the sea parted when Smash arrived." She smiled gently at Jason, well aware of his sensitivity about Smash being the only Panther to go pro. "Is Tim here?"

Jason nodded. "Yeah, I saw him come in a while ago. He'll be in whatever corner no one else is in."

"Jason," Lyla chided.

"He never was a social butterfly."

"Still, we should go find him. I'd like to see how Billy is."

"Billy's the same, anyone could tell you that."

Lyla knew it, the whole town knew Billy's story, but she still carried a soft spot for the Riggins boys, and even though she hadn't been in touch over the years since the accident, she genuinely cared about how Tim had been, how Billy was doing these days.

"I'm going to find him. Come with me."

She took the glass from Jason's hand, taking a sip and shooting him a smile. He nodded, as she knew he would, and pushed to follow her.

* * *

Jason saw him before Lyla did. Tim was standing in a corner, just as he'd predicted, still leaning against the wall. Jason knew his leg had to bother him at times, but this was Tim frozen in place. Warding off potential greeters by his stance alone. Jason wheeled towards him, Lyla following close by his side. Tim's posture didn't change, but Jason saw relief flash across his face. They hadn't spoken in a long while but compared to half the people here, Jason and Lyla were friendly forces.

"Hey." Jason held out a fist and Tim tapped it lightly with his hand.

Lyla reached up to hug Tim, not letting go even when Tim dropped his arms.

"How are you?" she asked.

Tim shrugged, shifting his weight off his left leg as he pulled away from her.

Jason turned around and faced the crowd with Tim, Lyla taking a place on his other side. "Is it just me, or do you not recognize half the people here?" Jason said.

"They're not old enough for facelifts yet. Give 'em another 10 years and they'll all look like they did in high school," Lyla said.

"Oh, catty!" Jason teased.

Lyla laughed and Jason thought he saw Tim almost smile. Silence settled over the three of them as they watched old friends reunite and perform the same awkward 'How have you been' ritual they were carrying out. Jason tried to think of something to talk about, a common topic, but he was drawing a blank. His mother kept him abreast of the major happenings in Tim's life, but their paths hadn't intersected in years, and Jason hadn't gone out of his way to pursue their old relationship.

"You going to the whole weekend? The breakfast tomorrow morning should be good," he finally said.

"I gotta work," Tim said.

"You mean the Garrity Motors-sponsored pancake breakfast?" Lyla asked. "I think I'll pass."

Open mouth, insert foot. Jason tried to think of topic number two—nothing. A few feet away, Smash knocked shoulders with Saracen, the former teammates laughing and exchanging pleasantries. It reminded Jason of the easy relationship he'd once had with Tim, the nights drinking down at the dock, just laughing and hanging out and talking smack about whatever team was up next on the Panther-radar.

Suddenly topic number two was clear and present in his mind. He looked up at Tim.

"You got your truck?"

Tim nodded.

"Let's get out of here. I've had about all the reminiscing with strangers I can take." He looked first at Lyla, then at Tim—once the two most important people in his life. At one time they would have followed him anywhere, maybe he could get one more night out of their old friendship.

"I want to reminisce with old friends."

* * *

Tim pulled his truck over onto the gravel shoulder near the dock. As he slid the gear stick up into park, the memory of the three of them coming out here that day a couple of months after Jay's accident crashed over him like a wave. He glanced over at Lyla sitting beside him, Jason squashed against the passenger door just like that day. They were both smiling.

"Been a while since I been out here," Tim said softly.

"It's been 11 and a half years," Lyla said surely.

Jason and Tim both looked at her.

She nodded and said quietly. "Not since the last time. Not since us."

Tim shook his head, shaking off the memory of what came next. The break-up with Lyla, the fight with Jay, the months of wondering how he'd managed to fuck it up so badly. It had never been the same between them, not really, but over the years they'd learned to be okay with what had happened back in high school. In the first few years following his accident, they had spent some time together, but the visit had slowly grown further and further apart until it had been three years since he'd seen Jay and longer with Lyla.

Too long for both of them.

Tim swung open his door and eased out. His leg was holding up tonight but he was always careful; it was branded into him now to take it easy or pay the price. He got Jason's chair and passed it off to Lyla. Then he hefted a cooler out of the back of his truck. It was permanent fixture, usually empty, but a quick stop at Stop and Shop and it was now full of ice, beer, and his faithful standby, non-alcoholic beer. He hadn't touched a drink in almost 9 years but the feel of the cool glass in his hands, rolling it back and forth along his jeans, catching the weight just right with his lips as he tipped the bottle up and let the cool liquid glide down his throat was an old memory, but a familiar one, and Tim liked to keep part of it alive.

He placed the cooler under a tree and returned for the few lawn chairs that were in his truck. Lyla was helping Jason get into his chair. Then she half-pushed, half-walked beside Jay as he made his way across the uneven ground.

"I swear this place hasn't changed," Jason said, looking around.

"That old dock is probably rotted by now," Tim said, easing his weight down into one of the low chairs. He straightened his leg, pausing to test for pain. Nothing. He was having a good night.

Lyla took a seat on Tim's right, Jason parking on Tim's left. The three of them stared out over the water silently for a few minutes. Tim slipped his hand into the cooler, passing a beer to each of Jay and Lyla and selecting the non-alcohol choice for himself. The sharp _psst, pss_t of caps opening punctuated the darkness as Lyla opened one first for Jason, then one for herself. It was the only sound for miles.

"Man, I so did not want to come here this weekend," Jason said, glancing over at Tim. "So many memories. I wasn't sure I wanted to relive all that."

Tim nodded and took a long drink. He was right there with Jay. When the invitation had arrived a few months back, he'd thrown it on the table and let it get lost beneath bills and junk mail. Then the girl he got in to clean the place once a month, an alumnus of Dillon High herself, found it and stuck it front and center on the fridge.

"I wasn't coming until you called me," Tim said to Jason, looking at his friend.

"Well I only replied after she forced me," Jason said, handing the responsibility off to Lyla.

Lyla laughed. "It's a reunion, you have to come. It's like a rite of passage. You live all the shit once, then 10 years later you relive it again just so you don't forget how truly horrible it all was the first time."

Tim and Jason were quiet. Then Tim lifted his bottle in a mock toast. "To Lyla Garrity. May she never grow bitter."

Jason laughed and choked on a mouthful of beer. Then Lyla threw her beer cap at Tim and grinned.

Yeah, this was more like it. Old times and old friends. What this weekend was supposed to be about.

"So there's still a lot of players in Dillon, you see any of them Tim?" Lyla asked.

"A few here and there, at the Broken Spoke. And Reyes did some electrical work on a house we were building a year ago. Of course Bradley is always hanging around, just waiting for trouble to happen."

"Bradley?" Lyla asked.

"Bradley Cole. Remember him?"

"Oh yeah, the red head," Jason said. "Didn't he smash up your truck once?"

Tim laughed. "Yeah, right after I 'beat you up'?" he teased. It was water under the bridge. They could talk about it freely now.

Jason smiled. "So what's he doing now?"

"He's a cop."

"What?"

"Yeah, seriously. He's always ragging on me about something," Tim added.

"Why?" Lyla asked.

Tim shrugged. "He was always asking questions about the accident. He came by the house once looking for trouble."

"He did?" Lyla asked.

"Yeah, about six months after, I guess. I remember I had a cane, and we had just set up a hospital bed in the living room for Billy." Tim paused to take a drink, remembering those first days living back at home. The hospital had been horrible but safe. As long as he was a patient, all his new responsibilities were on hold.

"He said he was looking into the accident. Checking on things."

"Really?" Lyla asked.

"Yeah," Tim scoffed. "No investigation, no warrant or anything. Said he wanted to take a look around."

"What did you do?"

"Told him I'd call the authorities."

"What good would that do? He's a cop," Lyla said.

"I meant the other authorities." Tim grinned. "The Panther offensive line."

Lyla burst out laughing. "What did he do?"

"Left."

Jason laughed as well. "Did he ever come back?"

"Nah." Tim shifted, stretching his legs on the ground. "He comes by whatever job site we're on looking for permits and stuff."

"What do you do about it?" Lyla asked.

"Lately I get Bo to talk to him."

"Bo? That kid who used to live next door?"

"Still does. You should see him—6'4" and built like a truck. He takes out more guys in a game than I did in a season."

"No way." Lyla smiled. "He always did want to play, didn't he?"

"Yeah," Tim said. "I tried to help him some…" his voice trailed off.

Lyla placed a gentle hand on Tim's knee. "He looks up to you Tim. He wouldn't still be around if he didn't."

Tim shrugged. "He spent more time with Billy in the beginning. Used to bring him all these workbooks to get him thinking and reading. They were learning together back then."

Tim took another drink, looking away from Lyla, out over the lake.

After a moment, Lyla spoke, her voice soft. "You know, I didn't say it before, but I think it's really great what you did for Billy."

Tim didn't respond.

"Most people would have moved on, eventually. But you didn't, you just put everything aside…"

Jason interrupted her. "Lyla…"

"What?" she asked. "I'm just saying. You didn't have to take care of him. I mean…"

It was Tim's turn to interrupt her this time. "Yes, I did."

Lyla shook her head. "No, I just mean, there are places…"

Tim's voice was firmer this time. "Yes, I did." He turned to stare at her.

Jason joined in. "Lyla, drop it."

Tim glanced back at Jay. "You never told her?"

Jason shook his head. "No one."

Tim nodded. They'd never spoken about it, but he always knew. Street wouldn't betray him.

He turned back to Lyla. "I was drunk."

She stared at him, quiet.

It wasn't something he was proud of, but it was the truth, and he was tired of running from it. In the hospital, in those first few days after the accident when he was riding high on morphine and guilt, he'd been ready to confess everything. Go to jail, ruin whatever chance he had at a future, he didn't care. He'd done this to Billy, he was responsible and he deserved to pay.

Then Jay had come to visit and changed his mind.

_"You don't see it yet, but you are paying for this." Jay had looked at him; so serious Tim thought he might laugh. "You're going to leave here, and go home, and maybe you'll take Billy with you, and maybe you won't, but you'll never, ever forget that moment. And that's punishment, Timmy. Take it from me, that's punishment."  
_  
"So I told the cops I fell asleep and after a while they just stopped asking questions." Tim looked away and took another drink.

"Tim," Lyla said softly.

Tim wouldn't look at her. There'd be pity in her eyes and he didn't want that. He'd fought these demons for close on a decade but he still couldn't stand when people pitied him. He'd never had much, not much of a chance to make something of himself, but senior year it had all been coming together. He had a scholarship to Texas Tech, him and Tyra were going to move there together, share a small apartment or something. Then the accident happened and everything blew up in his face. Billy was sick, Tyra left, he was in charge of two lives when he'd barely taken care of his own before. Losing his scholarship because he couldn't play anymore had seemed like the least of it. Everything changed.

"It's all water under the bridge now," Tim responded to her unspoken question of 'Are you okay?' Lyla had always cared, always been concerned, but it was too late to ask that question now.

"That's not really true, is it?" Lyla asked.

Beside them, Jason answered his ringing cell phone.

Tim looked at her, gauging her intent. "I had a plan: school, moving in with Tyra. Did you know she has a kid now?"

"It's been ten years, Tim. I'm surprised more of us haven't had a kid or two," Lyla replied.

"I wonder how old he is," Tim responded as he set his empty bottle down on the ground. It didn't matter, not really, but he found it hard to picture Tyra with an infant to care for. "What has she been doing this whole time? She never came back to Dillon once. Not for me to know anyway. And how did she hook up with Landry?"

Lyla was quiet for a moment. "You still care about her, don't you?"

Tim scuffed his toe in the dirt. Did he? Really? It had been a long time since he'd seen her, but he hadn't forgotten her. He could still feel her breath on his cheek that last time, still hear her words _I'll call you when I get there._ Only she'd never called. He only found out today that she never even got to L.A.

"Just habit I guess," he lied.

Lyla was quiet, then stood up and stretched. "I'm going to call my mom, tell her I'll be late." She smiled at Tim and walked down towards the water.

Beside him, Jason flipped his phone shut and chuckled quietly. Tim looked over.

"Just habit?" Jason teased. "Riggins, you still got it bad for that girl."

"What you got to say about it, Street? Everyone can see you're still hung up on Lyla," Tim challenged.

"That's right, Timmy, take the focus off you."

Tim grinned wickedly and leaned back in his chair. "Oh Six, you have no idea the ways that girl still loves you."

"Alright, stop."

"Fine, I'll stop. When you just admit you're still in love with her and get it on already."

Jason reached out and pushed Tim's arm off his armrest. "I do not still love Lyla."

Tim held his arm still, staring at the place it once rested. "You did not just push me."

Jason cocked his head in a mock challenge. "Oh, I think I did."

Tim reached out quick, before Jay had time to react and playfully swatted him across the head. "I might have a bum leg, Six, but I can still outrun the chair."

Jason reached back and mussed Tim's hair. "You haven't seen me play lately."

Tim held a hand out, ready to swipe at Jay again when Lyla called out. "Are you two twelve?"

They both burst out laughing, turning to watch as she walked towards them, hands on hips.

"Honestly, I still cannot take you anywhere!" She walked close to Jason, stopping just at his knees.

Tim eyed Jay, silently daring him to seize the moment. Jason looked at him, looked up and Lyla, then back at Tim.

Then Jay reached out and grabbed Lyla to him, pulling her squealing onto his lap. She resisted a little, not enough for someone not totally in love with Jay, Tim thought. Settling on his lap, she looked at Tim who was trying not to laugh at the two of them sitting there together.

Tim reached over and grabbed another three bottles from the cooler. "We're gonna need more beverages," he said.

"I think I got that taken care of," Jason said. "That was Smash, on the phone, he, Saracen, and half the team are headed out here. I think we'll be stocked for beverages."

Tim groaned and leaned back in his chair. They had maybe 30 minutes until this turned into a free-for-all beer bash reminiscent of high school. He wasn't looking forward to spending an evening with old friends asking him how he'd lived the past 10 years of his life.

He glanced over at Jason and Lyla. Jason hugged her to him and Lyla smiled softly. But he'd stay if Jay and Lyla stayed. Seeing them back together made anything worth it.

/tbc/


	6. Chapter 5

Reunion

**Reunion  
Chapter 5**

Beers at the lake. Not an event Landry had been invited to many times in high school. Not an event he had been invited to ever, actually. He looked over at Matt sitting on a rock down near the water. Back in high school, Matt always invited him to come along, but it was in the 'I'm going to have to talk to the football players, you realize this?' way and Landry had enough of that in the hallways at school.

"Hey man," Landry said as he nudged Matt with his elbow and sat down beside him. He handed Matt a beer. "You okay, because you look like someone just killed your puppy or something. Pathetic."

Matt took the beer and dropped his hand down between his knees. His face was sallow. He looked like he'd just lost the championship game, or worse--something he loved even more than football.

"What am I going to do?" Matt looked at his friend. "I can't lose her, Landry."

Landry was quiet. Was that really on the table? Losing Julie? In his gut, he didn't think so. This was Matt and Julie. They were the example other couples tried to live by. This was just an argument, compounded by whatever had been going on with Julie lately.

"Look man, you just have to ride this one out. She'll come around. It's Julie."

Matt didn't look convinced. This was going to take some actual work—a verbal waltz, if you will, or perhaps even a tango. Landry pulled on his relationship coach hat and dug his heels in for an intervention.

"Okay, here's what you're going to do. You're going to go home and you're going to sleep. Because you, my friend, are drunk, and that's my fault, but Julie loves me, so you can put that one on me. Then you are going to get up…"

"Wait. I can't not talk to her. She's going to wake up when I come in," Matt protested.

"She went home with her mom, right?"

Matt nodded.

"Then right about now, Tami and Julie are all snuggled in your bed and your pillow is waiting on the couch."

"Julie would never do that."

"Do you have a dog house?" Landry asked.

Matt shook his head no.

Landry nodded. "Then you're on the couch. Right, so you are going to sleep, and then when you get up tomorrow morning take a shower, because you stink, dude. And I am going to pick you up for the Garrity Motors breakfast thing at the god awful hour of 9 AM. Seriously, I think that Brittany chick must have planned this one because no way Buddy is going to be sober and raring to go tomorrow morning. Did you see how dunk he was at the school?"

"There's a point here somewhere, right?" Matt asked.

"How long have you known me?"

Matt just stared at him.

"Almost 20 years, Matty. Have you ever known me not to have a point?" Landry eyed Matt closely. Even drunk he could see Matt silently acquiescing. "Exactly. So you'll go to this breakfast thing and fill your stomach with grease and carbs and coffee, get this booze out of your system and fill it up with good Texas cooking, and then you are going to go home, and you are going to grovel.

"Possibly with flowers. I haven't decided," Landry said.

"Landry. No way Julie is going to just forgive me if I show up with flowers. I didn't do anything wrong. She's just upset. Like, she's upset all the time lately, and this was just another night. I can't apologize for nothing. She just hates me or something."

Wow. Matt was really depressed.

"Okay, that's the beer talking," Landry said. "Julie Taylor does not hate you, she wants to marry you. And remember you used to be a scrawny second-string quarterback. This girl loves you."

"Still, I don't know what I'm supposed to say."

"You aren't going to say anything. You are going to sit there and tell her you love her and that whatever it is, you are sorry and want to make it better. Then you are going to let her rant and rave and curse if she's so inclined, but you are not going to utter one word besides 'I'm sorry' until she starts crying."

Landry looked at Matt who was looking at him wide-eyed. "She'll cry. It's a guarantee," Landry said.

"How can you be so confident? You have zero experience with this."

"I may not be engaged to be married, but I've lived with a woman for eight years. You think I don't know how to handle an emotional outburst?"

"Hello boys, what are we talking about over here?" Tyra walked up behind them and laid a hand on Landry's shoulder.

"I was just coaching Matty here on his lady troubles." Landry looked up at her, smiling.

"Lady troubles?" Tyra wrinkled her nose. She knelt on the ground in front of the pair. "Matt, do not take advice from a man who calls it 'lady troubles'. What happened?"

Matt shrugged, looking out over the water. "It's just Julie. She got upset because I said I wanted kids. She acted like it wasn't something we talked about before, when it was. It is."

Landry watched Tyra's face, caring and concerned. She reached out to place a hand on Matt's knee.

"What did she say?" Tyra asked.

"That she didn't want me to say I wanted kids. What does that even mean? She wants them. We talked about it." Matt looked crushed.

Landry took a long drink of his beer. "You know, being a parent isn't just something you can choose not to be. I mean, not really, not inside. It's instinctual and if you really want it, hopefully it'll happen for you and then you'll be great at it. You've just got to be honest with Julie about how you feel," he said.

Landry looked at Tyra. She had a faraway look on her face, staring at a spot between the two men.

"You okay?" he asked her.

"Huh?" Tyra looked back at him, smiling to cover the awkward moment. "Yeah, yeah," she mumbled as she stood up. "I'm…" She looked over her shoulder at a crowd of people gathered near the parked vehicles. "I'm going to get a drink. You hang in there Matt. Julie'll come around."

Landry watched as she walked away, passing near the crowd where Tim, Jason and Lyla were seated at the center. Lyla was sitting in a chair next to Jason's wheelchair, her hand draped on his knee. Riggins was sprawled in a lawn chair, just taking in the talking and laughter around him. It was strange to be back here 10 years later and see the three of them as friends again. He guessed time really did heal all wounds.

He watched as Tyra stopped by a tree at the edge of the crowd, sipping a bottle of water and staring off over the lake. Landry wanted to go to her, but she clearly wanted space. She had to learn to let time heal her own wounds. And she would, someday. That's all he wanted for her, to make peace with Dillon and everything she'd left behind.

* * *

"Thanks for driving me home," Julie said as Tami pulled into the driveway. "I just felt like I couldn't be there another minute and I knew Matt wanted to go out to the lake with the guys—he doesn't really get to see them all that often and I think he wants to hear Smash's insider NFL stories."

"No problem, honey. Besides, I told your dad he could get a ride back to the hotel from Buddy," Tami joked.

Julie walked up to the front door and pushed it open. She flicked on the light in the hall, dropped her purse and headed for the couch. With a slight moan she dropped down on the soft sofa and laid her head back.

"Everything okay, Julie?" her mom asked.

Julie nodded, her eyes still shut.

"You sure?" Tami pressed.

Julie opened her eyes and sat up. "How come you and Dad only had me?"

Tami dropped her purse on the floor and sat down next to Julie. "Why?"

"I've just been thinking about it," Julie answered.

Tami reached over and touched her daughter's arm. "We did it right the first time, honey."

"Seriously, Mom," Julie responded.

Tami sighed. "Well, it was so easy the first time—we'd been married for about a year and your dad and I decided it was time to start our family. We tried for about six months and I got pregnant with you. You were perfect and we loved you so much."

Tami brushed her hair back and started again, "But then two years later we decided to give you a brother or a sister and we tried for about a year, and then I got pregnant and lost the baby about six weeks later. We tried again and the same thing happened."

"Miscarriages?" Julie asked.

"Five," Tami answered. "And then we decided that God wanted us to have you and we didn't worry about it anymore. Why are you asking, honey?"

Julie pulled her arms close around her and looked down.

"Just tell me, Julie. It's easier if you share it," Tami encouraged.

Julie looked back up at her mom, her eyes filling with tears. "My periods have been getting worse—the endometriosis is back, worse than it was in college. They did an ultrasound and then my doctor wanted me to have surgery. I didn't want to scare Matt, so I didn't tell him, and they found lots of scarring. She wanted to take one of my tubes out, but I wasn't ready for that. I'm just afraid we're not going to be able to have a baby and Matt was talking with Dad tonight and I know he wants a son who will play football and…"

"You had surgery?" Tami interrupted, her voice rising slightly. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Julie stared at her mother, tears in her eyes. She felt like she was 15 again, pouring out boy troubles in her bedroom, knowing that her mother would have the perfect solution. Except this time she wasn't 15 and she didn't get to rely on her mom to make it all better. She had to take care of this on her own.

"You were working on your dissertation and I didn't want to worry you—it was just minor day surgery, so I just did it, but now it looks pretty bad and I can't marry Matt if we can't have a family."

"Oh, Julie—" Tami began.

Julie began to cry.

Tami moved over and took her in her arms. "Oh, honey—I wish you'd just called me. You don't have to carry this weight alone."

* * *

It wasn't Dillon she hated, it was the person she had been here. Tyra Collette of 27 was far removed from the girl of 18. When she'd left, she'd been filled with the urgency to run, to get as far away from the claustrophobia of small town Texas as she could. But then life had struck her dead between the eyes and she had stopped, only one state line separating her from the person she had been and the one she ended up becoming.

She stood in the shadows circling the center group of revelers. It was hard to celebrate high school and being back here. She had a lot of good memories of Dillon, but there was a lot she'd like to forget too. Like that time with Tim and Lyla and everything that had happened after Jason got hurt. It was hard to make things work with Tim after that, but they had. And they'd been amazing.

She stole a glance back at Tim surrounded by former players and clingy Rally Girls. He was quiet, teasing a bottle with his lips. He looked so much like his former self, same hair, same rugged body, but his eyes told the truth. Tim had aged, and not the easy way.

Back in high school, senior year, they'd been solid. All the bullshit of the year before fell aside and Tim pushed hard to get a scholarship. It was his ticket out of Dillon and he was taking her with him. Then there'd been graduation, and the party, and the accident, and when the pieces finally stopped falling down around her, she didn't know where to start picking them up.

So she'd left.

Tyra blinked back the sting of tears and looked out over the water. It hadn't been easy. She knew what people said and thought. She'd abandoned her boyfriend the second it got hard. Ran off to live the life she wanted. Well she had an answer for them. Nashville was not the life she wanted. Not at 18.

At 27, it was a perfect fit. But that was because she worked hard to make it fit. To make things work for her and for Jake. Her son. Her son who she would sacrifice her life for. He was the reason she still got up and got dressed every morning and pushed through her day. And some days, if she was lucky, she didn't think about Dillon at all.

_Tyra pushed open the front door and called out. "Momma?"_

_"In here, hon."_

_Tyra smiled back at Landry. He had a knapsack on his back and a guitar case clutched in his hand. All his worldly belongings, according to him. He'd been a sorry sight when he'd wandered into the diner that morning and collapsed into a booth. She'd taken one look at him and offered him her couch. It was better than nothing, and better than Dillon._

_She shut the door behind him and gestured to the living room just off the entrance. "I told you it's not much, but you're welcome here as long as you like."_

_"Tyra, I can't tell you how much I appreciate this," Landry said._

_Tyra laughed. "Don't thank me yet; you haven't tried the couch."_

_She dropped her purse on the floor and walked down the hallway to the kitchen. "Come on, I want you to meet my special guy."_

_Landry followed behind her to the kitchen where her mother was seated at the table feeding a baby in a high chair. That precious boy, grinning widely up at Tyra, was her entire reason for existing._

_"Hi baby, how are you?" She leaned down and gave him a kiss. Then she turned back to Landry. "Landry, I'd like you to meet the most important man in my life. My son, Jacob."_

_Picking Jacob up, Tyra fussed with his hair and peppered his face with kisses. When Landry reached out tentatively to hold him, she was surprised, but she passed Jacob over. And Landry was so gentle, like he was cradling a precious artifact. He knew just how to support Jacob's tiny head until Tyra reminded Landry that Jacob was almost nine months old. Preventing him from crawling away from you was more the issue._

_Jacob grinned at Landry and reached up to pluck at his nose. Instant friends. Tyra felt like her world had just got a little brighter._

Sighing, she leaned against a tree and thought about the past eight years with Landry. It was Landry that owned the house now and Tyra and Jake lived with him. But she paid her share, and Landry traveled so much, it was more like being a single parent anyway. Jake adored Landry and thought of him as the father he'd never known. He'd even called Landry 'Dad' on a few occasions but Tyra had been careful to make the distinction. It was hard for a kid to understand, but she couldn't put that on Landry. It wasn't his responsibility to take care of all her needs.

She turned back to look at Tim. This time he was staring right at her. Someone had built a fire and it was dancing on the ground before him. His eyes were bright, flickering with orange and yellow sparks. Tyra looked away quickly, then chanced a brief glance back at him. He was still staring. Drilling right into her heart like he always could back then. She swallowed hard and looked away, turning her body to prevent her eyes from straying.

She had to get out of here, had to collect Landry and a very drunk Matt and get back to Landry's parents where she was safe with Jake and there were no temptations from her past. This weekend was about reminiscing and, for her, making peace with everything she'd done. She didn't think she could do that if Tim Riggins kept staring at her with his smoking eyes. She was going to melt.

Tyra walked back to where Landry and Matt were leaning against each other, singing that horrible Justin Timberlake song the danceline girls had performed to during the championship season. She corralled them into her SUV, starting the engine with a determined growl. As she pulled away, her eyes swept over the scene once more. There was Tim. Not looking at her, but staring right at the spot where she had been.

She spun her tires on the gravel and drove as quickly as she dared back to Jake. Back to safety.

* * *

"I was livin' in a devil town…" Jason sang loudly as he stuck his head out the window and hooted.

"Geez, Street—you really can't hold your alcohol anymore, can you?" Tim commented as he pulled into Jason's neighborhood. "It's a good thing I got sober so I can haul your sorry ass home."

"Oh man…this ass is so sorry," Jason said as he shook his head. "I haven't had a night like this in a long time."

"Yeah, I'm thinkin' that's why Garrity took a ride home from those Rally girls. Drunk you is not a pretty sight," Tim replied as he pulled into the Streets' driveway.

"Come on, Timmy. You adore drunk me." Jason grinned at him.

Tim smiled back as he parked his truck. He opened the door and got out, pulled Jason's chair from the back of the truck and pushed it around to the passenger door.

Jason looked down at the chair. "Damn, that looks like a long, long ways away. How did I used to get in and out of this truck?"

Tim laughed. "Different truck, Six." He opened the door and picked Jason up, lifting him like he had the first time they'd escaped from the hospital after Jason's accident. He tested his leg, then softly lowered Jason into the chair. "I'm thinkin' you might need some help the rest of the way in."

"Yeah, not a bad idea," Jason said as he began to push toward the door. "Just don't wake my parents."

Jay was trying to whisper, but it came out more like a raspy shout. Tim shook his head. "Definitely, Street," he replied, opening the front door.

Tim followed Jason down the hall and into the small bedroom on the main floor. He turned on the lights and crossed to the bed, pulling the blankets back.

Jason wheeled toward the bed and stopped. "Shit, why did I drink that much beer?"

Tim pulled Jason's shirt off and then wordlessly lifted his friend from the chair onto the bed. He loosened Jason's pants and pulled them off. He had done this every day for Billy the first year or so after the accident. Without comment, he changed the bulging leg bag, evidence of the night's activities.

"I slept with Lyla," Jason said suddenly as Tim was finishing up.

"Yeah?" Tim responded as he sat down in Jason's chair. This was interesting, although not really surprising considering how they'd been all over each other at the lake. He propped his feet up on Jason's bed. "Lately?"

"At Christmas," Jason responded. "I didn't mean to…I mean, it's not like I planned it."

"So, you getting back together?" Tim asked. He could never figure out why Jay and Lyla didn't work out. He knew there were obstacles, distance was a killer, but they were so solid before the accident and then even after everything that had happened between the three of them, Jason and Lyla got back together and made it work again. If they could overcome that, they should be able to conquer a few thousand miles.

Jason shook his head. "I don't know Riggs, I don't know what's going on."

Something caught Tim's eye and he looked at Jason's window. There was Lyla, standing just outside peering into the bedroom. For a minute he remembered that look from when she would sneak into his house, hoping Billy wouldn't catch them. He pushed back the memory and looked over at Street.

"Well, might be time to ask her," Tim said. He stood up and walked over to the window, sliding it up to reveal Lyla. "Kinda old to be climbing in his window, aren't ya?"

"Just help me in," Lyla said, her long legs coming over the windowsill.

"Makes me wish I was into kinky stuff," Tim said, grinning as he helped her in. "Or that Street had a bigger bed."

"Night, Tim," Jason responded.

Tim offered a wave, then headed back to his truck. As he pulled out of the driveway, he could see the light go off in Jay's room. At least somebody was getting their happy ending.

* * *

Matt carefully opened the front door to the house he shared with Julie. One light burned in the living room revealing the couch with a pillow and a blanket sitting on the end.

He shook his head and laughed at Landry's keen ability to predict a woman's behavior as he slipped his shoes off and dropped down on the couch. Hopefully Landry's advice would help him tomorrow with his wife-to-be.

* * *

Tim was quiet when he eased into his house. He looked around the darkened living room, lit by the flickering blue light of the television. Billy was in the same position as when Tim had left five hours before, lying in his recliner, his permanent spot on most nights.

Tim turned off the TV and walked towards the kitchen. The fridge was open, milk and bread out on the counter. Slowly he repackaged the food and stored everything away. There was something sticky on the floor, probably juice or jam or some concoction that Billy had dropped and never even noticed. Tim spread his hands flat on the island and looked over at his brother asleep in the chair.

Billy was his life, his whole life, like it or not. Most days he just woke up and went through the motions and didn't think about what else might have been out there for him. Then there were days like today when he spent time with real friends and remembered what it was like to put himself first.

Tim closed his eyes. It would have been so easy to unload Billy onto someone else. Shirk his responsibilities and take off. He could have looked for Tyra, tried to get into a school somewhere. Like could have been very different.

_"Mr. Riggins, I think the best thing you can do for your brother is to admit him to a long-term care facility. We have several fine options in the area."_

_Tim stared at Billy's doctor, then down at the mountain of paperwork before him. It was time for Billy to be released. There was nothing else the hospital could do for him, and truthfully Tim thought they had only kept him this long because they were waiting for Tim to recuperate himself._

_A nursing home. It sounded so…clinical. Like Billy was a retard that needed someone to wipe his ass for him. Sure, he did need someone, right now, but he was learning again, Tim could see that, and there were day programs and government assistance he could apply for._

_He looked up. "I want to take him home."_

_"Timothy…"_

_Tim winced at the doctor's use of his full name. No one had called him that since his mom left._

_The doctor continued. "You are a young man, and you still have a lot of healing left to do yourself. I think if you go down this path, you'll regret it in the long run. Seven Acres, for example, is a fine facility just outside of town."_

_A glossy brochure materialized at the top of the pile. Billy's doctor pushed it towards him._

_Tim felt his resolve strengthen. "You have some stake in this place?" He pushed the brochure aside, looking through the papers for the release form._

_"Well yes, I am on staff there on a part-time basis, but…"_

_Tim laughed and stood up. "You know what? I think I'll be taking Billy home. He's going to get better and be just fine without you and your fancy therapy." He turned to leave._

_The doctor called after Tim as he opened the door to the office. "Mr. Riggins, your brother is never going to get better. The sooner you face that, the better off you'll both be."_

_Tim let the door slam loudly behind him. He limped down the hall, gripping the papers in one hand and his cane in the other. He knew it. Deep down, in his gut, he knew Billy was never going to get better, but he couldn't abandon him. Billy was his responsibility and his fault, and he was going to make sure he took care of him from now on._

Tim walked over and picked up a blanket off the couch. Gently, he draped it over Billy. It was the right choice, taking care of his older brother just like Billy had given up and stayed behind to take care of Tim when their dad took off. Billy was happy here, with Tim, and the government paid Mrs. Anderson to come look after him every day. What else could they ask for? Sure, it would be nice to have a day off once in a while, but Billy didn't get a day off to be normal, so why should Tim?

The hardest part was that he wasn't even sure Billy knew enough anymore to realize what he'd lost. In some ways it made it easier because Billy wasn't frustrated. Tim had waited two years before he finally sold Billy's golf clubs—he just couldn't bear to walk past them in the garage anymore. No, Billy was happy with things a child would like—videos and trips to the zoo. It was kind of like having a little kid around all the time, except he was never going to grow up.

Tim stared down at Billy, snoring softly. "'Nite," he said quietly.

Then Tim walked down the hall to his room and closed the door.

* * *

"You comfortable?" Jason asked Lyla as he slid his arm around her.

"Yeah," Lyla said, quietly.

"Good to see Timmy tonight," Jason said as he leaned in and kissed Lyla's neck.

"Yeah," Lyla responded, again.

"Best trip to Dillon I've had in a long time," Jason whispered.

Lyla reached up and brushed her hand along Jason's arm. "I miss you holding me."

"We could do something about that," Jason said.

Lyla sighed and wrapped her legs around Jason's. She knew he couldn't feel them, but she loved to touch his body and in the small bed, they needed to curl up against each other like one person. What did he mean 'do something about it'? They had never really broken up, so could they just get back together?

She pulled Jason tighter to her and willed herself to sleep. It would be easier to think about in the morning.

_/tbc/_


	7. Chapter 6

Reunion

**Reunion  
Chapter 6**

Landry pulled his parents' car up in front of Matt's house. They had finally gotten rid of the piece of junk station wagon with wood paneling he'd been reduced to driving in high school when Landry had offered to buy them a new car. But then what did they choose? He got out and shut the door of the new car, also a station wagon, complete with wood paneling. He'd been shocked to learn that they still made these things.

Landry was halfway up the front walk when the door opened and Matt shuffled out. He looked like death warmed over with a side of yuck for good measure.

"Hey buddy, rough night?" Landry called.

Matt's eyes were lidded, his hat pulled down as low as possible without blinding him. Landry grinned and turned back to the car. He'd woken up early and slammed back a Bloody Mary with one raw egg yolk for good measure. There'd been more than a few nights out on the road with his band where they'd partied a little too hard. It was a proven remedy. Now he just needed a nice plate of greasy bacon and he'd be all set.

He looked over as Matt slipped into the car beside him. "So, couch comfy?"

Matt just grunted and slouched low in the seat.

Landry started the car and tried not to laugh.

* * *

The Garrity Motors-sponsored pancake breakfast was an extravaganza of truly disastrous proportions. Landry had seen better breakfast spreads pulled together on 30 minutes notice with only a corner convenience store to raid for supplies. The new Mrs. Buddy Garrity was standing guard at the bacon platter, ensuring that each hungry male only took the designated three slices.

Landry had to stifle a laugh as Smash Williams engaged Brittany in conversation while three former Panthers swiped a handful of the greasy meat each. There were benefits to being a star, certainly.

Matt was slumped at a table in the back of the room when Landry plopped a plate of pancakes in front of him.

"Carbs. Go," Landry instructed.

He'd have to reassess the 'make-it-up-to-Julie' situation once he got Matt back to verbose territory, but right now his own pancakes were calling his name. He dug in and tried to ignore the hushed voices growing increasingly louder at the table next to him.

Landry glanced over his shoulder. Smash and an attractive well-dressed woman were seated one table over. Smash was smiling politely but tensely and Landry could practically see steam rising from his ears. Whatever buttons this woman was pushing, she was in complete control.

He turned back to Matt and focused on downing his coffee when the voices got suddenly louder and sharper.

"Girl, you better watch yourself here. I got friends in this town I ain't even met yet," Smash said.

"And my editor would love to interview any one of them," woman replied.

Without thinking, Landry grabbed his coffee and pushed his chair back, injecting himself right in the middle of the pair.

He held out his hand to the woman. "Hello, I don't think we've met. I'm…"

"Landry Clarke," she interrupted, flicking a stony gaze in his direction. "I know who you are."

She looked back and Smash and smiled thinly. "Isn't Dillon just full of famous faces? I'm staying at the Holiday Inn until Sunday if you change your mind Mr. Williams."

The woman stood and tossed a business card on the table near Smash. Landry caught the company logo before Smash swiped it away. _New York Times_. Not bad.

"So," Landry drawled. "Lady troubles?"

Smash looked at him blankly. Landry sighed. Not an ounce of recognition.

"Landry? Clark?" he offered. Then he groaned inwardly and added, "Guest of Matt Saracen?"

It took a second, but Landry saw the memories dawn over Smash's face. They should, the three of them had only spent a year of school nights hanging out in the Alamo Freeze. One day his therapist would really have to examine his inability to leave a lasting impression.

"Yeah, yeah, Landry. How you doin' man?" Smash asked.

He was slipping back into smooth-talker mode but Landry could see he was riled.

"Reporter. Happens all the time." Smash looked down at the business card in his hands and then crumpled it and tossed it on the table. He looked at Landry questioningly. "She said she recognized you, didn't she?"

"Yeah, happens all the time," Landry responded. He grinned at the joke that Smash clearly didn't get.

Landry rolled his eyes and shifted his chair so he was actually sitting at the table with Smash. "You don't read Entertainment Weekly, do you?"

Again with the blank look from Smash.

"I'm in a band," Landry offered.

"Yeah? That's cool. You any good?"

"Good enough to be featured in EW." Smash didn't look as impressed as Landry had hoped. "_Hometown Hero_, we're a country band. Number 1 on the Billboard Country Chart this week."

Smash nodded. "Cool."

Landry almost laughed out loud. He was pulling down more money than any graduate from Dillon High, present company excluded, and Smash couldn't give a rat's ass. Landry couldn't buy this kind of anonymity in Nashville.

"So, what did that reporter want?" Landry asked.

Smash pushed his half-eaten eggs around his plate. He shrugged and looked out over the room. "Same old shit. Just gettin' up in your business where nobody belongs."

Landry nodded. He actually did know exactly what that was like. But any secrets he had were put on display years ago. Lately life had been pretty routine.

He turned as he heard Tyra talking to Matt behind him. She smiled when she saw Landry with Smash and walked over.

"Decent crowd," she commented.

"Yeah," Landry answered, tipping his head back to look up at her. "He's not here."

Tyra gave him a sarcastic look. "You need a hobby, you know that?"

Landry smiled and nodded. "I think I got a pretty good one looking out for you."

Tyra squeezed his shoulder gently. She appreciated his concern, he knew that, and pointing out the absence of Tim Riggins from the breakfast just saved her unnecessary time looking around for him. Landry wasn't sure finding Tim and talking to him at all was the right task for Tyra to be pursuing, but she was like a bee in a bonnet when she got an idea in her head. There was no stopping her.

"Smash, good to see you," Tyra said, still standing.

Smash winked and smiled at her. "Tyra. Still a babe."

She laughed. "Well, sweet of you to say so anyway." Leaning over Landry's shoulder, she said in a low voice. "Jake's with your Mom. You'll be going home right after this?"

Landry nodded.

"Thanks, hon. Later, Smash."

Landry watched Smash watching Tyra slink away.

Smash whistled when she was out of earshot. "Man, I cannot believe you are hitting that on a regular basis. Hot!"

Landry choked on a mouthful of coffee. He looked over at Smash. Was it possible he didn't know?

Of course he didn't know. Smash lived in his own protective bubble of 'things that concerned Brian Williams'. The sexual activities of one Landry Clark would not register on his radar.

Especially if he didn't read the _Advocate_ or last year's feature 'The Face of Gay Country'.

_"You know," Tyra said, rifling through clothes in her closet. "If you keep taking me to these awards shows as your date, people are going to think we're a serious couple."_

_Landry watched her toss a brown suede skirt to the floor. Good. When did suede try to stage a comeback?_

_He shifted on her bed and watched as she slipped off her shirt, clad in only her bra and underwear. She had no modesty in front of him. They'd lived together for almost two years and kept no secrets from each other. Except for one gigantic secret that he really needed to tell her._

_He felt a cool sweat break out along his upper lip. How could he tell her this? He was her best friend, and when Matt wasn't in the room, she was his. She was going to hate him for not telling her sooner._

_"Um, actually, I was thinking I might take someone else."_

_Tyra stopped, a black dress in one hand, a slinky red number in the other. She looked over her shoulder at him reclined on her bed._

_"Who?"_

_Landry shifted his gaze away from her half-naked body. It had been six months already. How had he kept it from her this long?_

_"Leslie."_

_"Oh!" Tyra slithered into the slinky red dress, tugging it down over her hips as she approached the bed. She lay down on the foot of the bed, smoothing the material over her flat stomach. "I hope she's pretty, because I look damn good in red."_

_Landry smiled and let out a nervous laugh. She did look good in red. He had to give her that much._

_"Um, Leslie is…" Landry hesitated. Pretty? No. Handsome, yes. Gorgeous, yes. Sculpted, whatthehellwashedoingwithLandry-yes._

_Tyra tipped her head back to look at Landry, waiting for an answer. He couldn't meet her eyes. He stared at the portrait of Jacob above her armoire, then at the framed picture of the two of them sitting on her bureau. He took a deep breath and just blurted it out._

_"He's cute."_

_Tyra rolled over, resting on her elbows. She stared at Landry until he finally gave in and let his eyes roam back to hers._

_"Is he really cute?" she asked._

_Landry's heart raced. There was a lump in his throat the size of Texas. He nodded furiously._

_"Good, you deserve cute." Tyra pushed back and stood up. She pulled her dress off over her head in a smooth movement._

_"That's it?" Landry's mouth was agape. He deserved cute? That was IT?_

_"Am I supposed to be surprised?" Her words seemed cold, but there was a smile on her lips. She reached for the black dress and then let it fall. "Guess I don't have to cover up anymore, do I?"_

_She sighed and walked towards her bathroom. "Too bad, you're missing a fine piece of ass!"_

_Landry collapsed back into her pillows as she closed the bathroom door behind her. He laughed, a huge relief floating up and away from his shoulders. He'd done it, come out to her. And true to Tyra-nature, it hadn't been a big deal at all._

"I'm gay, Smash."

Was it Landry's imagination, or did Smash get paler at the revelation?

Landry waved off any expression of surprise. "Look, I've been out of the closet longer than I was in. There's no secret that I'm gay. I came out years ago."

Smash shifted in his seat, almost squirming. Okay, Landry wasn't imagining it, this dude was severely uncomfortable.

Landry smiled at Smash, trying to ease the discomfort. "It's no big deal, I'm not hitting on you."

"Yeah, well, to each his own, right?" Smash said, pushing his chair back. "Look man, it's been real, but I gotta jet. Catch you tonight?"

"Sure," Landry said but Smash was already walking away.

Landry slid his chair back to where Matt was still slumped in his chair. "How you feeling?"

"Like crap," Matt replied.

"Yeah? Well I got something to cheer you up."

Matt looked up.

"Smash Williams has definitely got something going on the down-low."

"Huh?" Matt responded, clearly confused.

"Smash Williams is gay."

* * *

If she had thought about what she was doing, she would have been back at Landry's parents' house, buried so far beneath the covers in their spare room that not even their pet poodle could sniff her out. But she hadn't thought about it, obviously. That was why she was currently parking across the street from the Riggins' house and actually opening the car door.

Tim was outside, bent over the open hood of his truck. How did he always manage to make manual labor look sexy? A tattered blue Panthers cap was perched backwards on his head. His hair was a bit shorter now, but he hadn't changed much more than that. Tyra's eyes slowly slid down his body, taking in his strong back, to his jeans, which still fit like he'd painted them on that morning. He turned when she slammed her door, catching her in his gaze and trapping her there.

_"Is this what you expected?"_

_Tyra looked across at Mrs. Williams and nodded. "Yeah, I did a test at home, but I just didn't know…"_

_Smash's mother reached over and took Tyra's hand. "You want to tell me about it, honey? I'm assuming this isn't something you planned on."_

_Tyra shook her head, the tears starting now. "No, not really," she choked out, brushing the tears away. "We have a plan, you know? I just never thought either one of us would get to college and now it all seems set and then this happens."_

_"Do you want to have this baby?" Mrs. Williams asked._

_Tyra shrugged. "I don't know. I don't know…"_

_"Have you told the father?"_

_Tyra shook her head._

_"Well, try to find a way, Tyra, and let him share this burden—it's yours together. But also know that you have options and it's your decision to make."_

Her palms were sweaty, her mouth dry. She was going to puke. Right there in the driveway where she'd once slapped him so hard she'd broken a nail. Tyra took a deep breath. She had to get a grip.

"Hi," she said, pushing her hands deep into the pockets of her miniskirt. Start with 'hi', it was a safe choice.

"Hi." Tim's voice was rough, his eyes boring into her. There was a greasy smudge marring his forehead.

Tyra looked away, towards the house. "How's Billy?"

He stared at her for a moment, then turned back and attacked his truck with a wrench. "You really came here to ask about Billy? He's inside. Take a look."

She looked at the house again, wincing under his sharp words. There was a lot of resentment in his voice, and she didn't blame him at all. But she had come here to apologize to him. She couldn't do it if he wouldn't even look at her.

"Look, Tim, I want to explain, you know…" Her voice faded away. Weak. She couldn't do this. There was something deep inside her driving her to try and explain the past nine years to him. To help him understand why she had done what she had done. But there wasn't an easy way to explain it without telling Tim the whole story. And she wasn't sure she could do that—not now, not ever.

_"Woo hoo! Seniors!" Tim called as he ran up in his cap and gown and hugged her. She smiled and tried not to get sick. She had been feeling so awful for the past few days._

_"Can you believe it, Tyra Collette? Dillon High School Class of 2008!"_

_Tim looked like a puppy, so happy and eager and pleased with himself. She smiled faintly. It was all she could do to keep upright._

_"Still not feeling well?" Tim asked, suddenly concerned. "What about the party?"_

_Oh god—the graduation blow-out. There was NO way on so many levels._

_"Oh, Tim," she started._

_"It's okay," he replied, shrugging. "We'll stay home."_

_No, absolutely no way. She had been planning this party with Billy for a month, and even though the whole class was invited, it was all for Tim. He had worked so hard this year and she wanted to give him the perfect send-off from high school._

_"No, you go. Have a brothers night out." She smiled at him, hoping he'd say yes._

_"You sure?"_

_She nodded. "But then come over tomorrow. I want to talk to you about something."_

_"Sure thing," Tim said as he leaned in and kissed her. "Feel better."_

_She stood at the edge of the football stadium and watched as Tim walked to the truck with Billy._

She tried again. "I didn't mean to leave like that. To not call." Staring at his back, she saw his shoulders tense. Then he dropped the wrench with a loud clatter into his toolbox and turned around, wiping his hands on a rag.

"You didn't want a gimp for a boyfriend. No big deal." Tim shrugged and moved around the truck.

"No, that's not it. Tim, wait." She reached out to touch his arm, shrinking back when he jerked away from her. God, did he really think that? How could he think she had left because of him?

Tim turned back, shaking his head, questioning her intentions. "What do you want, Tyra?"

What did she want? Forgiveness? Absolution? She was going to get neither of those things from Tim Riggins. Not without sacrificing a piece of herself.

She took a deep breath. "I want to explain things to you, to apologize."

"Apologize for what? You didn't want to stay so you left. Explained."

"Tim, that's not it! There's more to it than that, I was confused and I didn't know how to tell you…"

_"Where is he?" she asked as she raced into the emergency room._

_"He's up in surgery, honey," Tami Taylor said, getting up to go over to Tyra._

_"What happened?" she asked. Where was Tim?_

_"There was an accident," Jason said, wheeling over to her._

_"What happened to Tim?" she asked again._

_Tami led her to a chair and helped her sit down. "Billy has a head injury and they're operating to reduce the swelling. Tim's also hurt quite badly—his leg is badly damaged._

_Tyra looked from Jason to Tami to Coach Taylor who stood in the corner with a blank look on his face. "Is he going to die?"_

_"No, he isn't going to die," Jason stated as if he could make it so._

_"What aren't you telling me?" she asked, searching their faces again._

_"It's bad," Jason said. "The leg is really badly hurt and they don't know if they can save it."_

_Tyra leaned forward, the tears filling her eyes now. What would happen to Tim? What would become of them? Her hand reflexively slid down to where the small baby was growing. How could she ever tell Tim now? How could she not?_

Tim's eyes narrowed. "Tell me what?"

Tyra took a deep breath. Here went nothing.

"I was pregnant, Tim. When I left Dillon, I was pregnant with Jake."

Tim stared at her, his lower lip trembled, just the smallest bit, but Tyra saw it. She'd broken him. She'd kept this from him and broken his heart in the process.

"He's yours, Tim. Jake is your son."

Tim stared at her. What would he say? What would he think? Tyra waited for him to unleash his anger at her, but before she could even process what he was doing, he closed the hood on his truck, got in and drove away.

* * *

Jason slowly opened his eyes, the light peeking through the blinds. He raised his right hand up to shade his eyes.

"Oh," he groaned.

Lyla, lying on the bed facing him, smiled, her eyes still closed. Jason reached over and slowly trailed his hand down her shoulder and across the soft skin of her breast.

Lyla's eyes opened and she leaned in for a quick kiss. "Oh, babe—you don't smell so great."

"Should get up," Jason moaned.

There was a knock at the door. "Jason?" his mom called from the other side of the door.

Jason, lying on his side with his back to the door could only watch as Lyla's eyes went wide and then, without a word, she rolled back and dropped off the bed onto the floor.

"What are you doing?" he whispered as the door began to open.

"Jason? Are you up?" his mom asked as she walked into the room.

"Uh, yeah," Jason said as he clumsily shifted from his side to his back.

"Tim's here," Mrs. Street said.

"Okay, thanks Mom." Jason glanced back to where Lyla was hiding. He questioned her silently. What was she doing?

Then his mom spoke again. "Morning, Lyla."

Jason had to bite his lip to keep from laughing.

Lyla's head popped up from behind the bed. She brushed a hand through her matted hair, apparently trying to make herself presentable. "Good morning, Mrs. Street."

"There's coffee in the kitchen," Jason's mom said as she headed out of the room. "And Tim's on the patio."

Jason let out a loud laugh and rolled onto his back. He was still laughing when Lyla threw her pillow at him.

* * *

Lyla pulled open the sliding glass door so Jason could head out to where Tim waited. She leaned down and kissed him. "I'm going to head back to my mom's and get cleaned up. Call me later."

"Don't fall off any more beds," Jason said.

Lyla made a face at him, then waved at Tim and walked down the patio steps.

Jason pushed his chair across the entryway and onto the patio. Tim was sitting on the far edge, his chair pushed away from the table.

"You should have just spent the night," Jason said as he wheeled his chair over to where Tim sat.

"Yeah, maybe," Tim said, slouching down in his chair.

"I thought you had to work," Jason said as he pivoted his chair to face Tim and set the brakes.

"Just didn't want to go to that breakfast," Tim replied. "Though I was workin' on my truck this morning."

"I see," Jason responded, noting the grease on Tim's face. "So…"

Tim didn't respond. It was clear that something was on his mind. Tim sighed and then finally looked up at Jason.

"Tyra was pregnant."

Jason knew she had a child, but pregnant when? And why did Tim care? Jason stared at Tim. "She was what?"

"When she left. She was pregnant when she took off for LA or ran off to Nashville or wherever it was she went to—"

"So, her kid?" Jason began, as he leaned forward, his body leaning toward Tim's.

"I have a son," Tim answered, the disbelief clear in his voice and body.

"Wow," Jason said as he leaned back, shifting his weight in the chair. Tyra was pregnant that night in the hospital when they'd waited for news of Tim's surgery. She was pregnant when she walked out of his room and just left. The Tyra Jason once knew wouldn't have done that to Tim. It didn't fit.

Tim stood up and walked back toward the house, then stopped and came back over to where Jason was waiting. "Can you believe this shit?"

"That's heavy, man," Jason responded. "What did she say?"

"She came over this morning—said she wanted to apologize for leaving and then she just said it. Said he was my kid."

"So did you ask her why she didn't tell you?" Jason wondered.

Tim looked over at his friend, then out across the backyard. "No, I just got in my truck and drove away. Left her standing there in the driveway."

"You boys need anything?" Jason's mom asked from the doorway. "Cup of coffee? Glass of water, Jason?"

"We're good, Mom," Jason responded. The door slid close and they were alone again.

"You have to talk to her."

Tim dropped back down into the chair. "I don't know, Six. I'm not a father. And how can I make it up to him now? He's like, what…eight years old? And it just…it just pisses me off."

"How?" Jason asked.

"Cause I never wanted to be the guy that leaves—I had enough of that with my dad and I swore I'd never be that guy."

"And you aren't," Jason responded. "You don't deserve this. Not after the number your parents pulled on you and Billy. You deserve a chance to have a family and now you just found out that you do. You didn't do anything wrong here Tim. You aren't your father."

Tim rubbed his hand across his face. "Yeah, I am—I have a kid and he's eight years old and I've never even met him. He must hate me."

"Well, it wasn't your choice—Tyra didn't tell you and if there's anyone who doesn't leave, it's you, Tim. The rest of us—we left you. We left you here with Billy and a bad leg and not a lot of future and that was unfair. We should have stayed. I should have stayed."

Tim looked at Jason and let loose a short laugh. "That is the dumbest thing I've ever heard you say, Street. What were you going to do here? Put me on your lap and drive me down to the Broken Spoke?"

Jason smiled. "Well, I should have come home more—should have called more." He looked at Tim, then out over the yard. Tim with a kid was surprising, but Jason remembered the way Tim had taken to Bo back in high school. He just had to make Tim remember it.

"You were pretty good with Bo when he moved here," Jason offered.

Tim shook his head. "It's not the same."

No, it wasn't. It was worse and better all at the same time.

"So, what are you going to do now? You going to meet him? Jake?"

Tim shook his head. "No, I don't think so."

"Why not?" Jason asked. "I can understand you're pissed at Tyra, but you can get over that."

"I'm not a father," Tim said again. "And what kind of a life can I offer him? It's not like I can play football with him. Can you imagine having a kid in the house with Billy there? I've got a shitty, go nowhere job. Nah, he's better off with Tyra and Landry."

Jason pushed the brakes off and wheeled back slightly from where Tim was sitting. He looked over at his friend. He could see the pain and confusion on Tim's face, but he also felt this incredible desire to stand up and punch his friend in the gut.

"You think you need to do all those things to be a father?" Jason asked quietly. "Cause then you and I are in the same boat, Riggs."

Tim looked up at Jason, his eyes wide. "No, Street—that wasn't what I meant."

"Cause from where I'm sitting…and I'm sitting, you know, I think it sounds like a pretty sweet situation. Cause you have a kid, Tim. You know, that's not really possible for me." Jason stared back at his friend, shocked to realize how upset this made him.

"I don't think I could ever do that to Lyla—take away the chance to have a family—because she'd be a great mother and to sit here and listen to you just throwing that amazing opportunity away…well, it pisses me off, Tim." Jason panted slightly, angry at himself for unleashing so much, and angry at Tim for not seizing this opportunity and running with it.

Tim pinched his fingers at the bridge of his nose and sighed. "I said it wrong, Street—I said it all wrong. And you know that if I could give you that chance, I'd do it—if I could give you my legs and my hands, I'd do it in a flash."

Jason stared at his friend. He did know it. At one time, Tim would have given anything to take away what had happened to Jay. But over time their friendship had faded some, time and distance and age played their own part in separating the pair.

Jason sighed. "I think you're being an ass, but you already know that."

Tim stared at Jason, his jaw tense.

"Go find her. Talk to her. Give her a chance to tell you what happened. And then meet your kid, Tim. He's lucky to have you as a father."

Tim sat for a moment, then got up. He stopped by Jason's chair, holding out his fist. Jason tapped it lightly and smiled.

"Thanks, Six."

"Anytime."

Jason watched Tim walk away, rocking his chair back and forth slightly. Ten years ago when his doctor's told him he'd probably never have children, it hadn't seemed like that big of a deal. It stung, but there was so much more to conquer and learn, children had been a low priority. Now though, at 28, he was seeing his future more clearly. And it was lonely. No girlfriend, no kids, where was he going to be in five years, and who was he going to be there with?

He pushed his chair around and back into the house. He should talk to Lyla today. They couldn't keep sleeping together every time they were in the same town and not do anything about their on-again/off-again relationship. It wasn't fair to keep dragging her along. He couldn't give her the life she wanted, and he couldn't be happy if she wasn't.

He had to end this once and for all and find something to make himself happy. Then he'd have to hope Lyla found her own happiness too.

_tbc_


	8. Chapter 7

Reunion

**Reunion  
Chapter 7**

Smash let his forehead thump against the steering wheel. His cell phone, set to vibrate, was practically giving him a hand job in his pocket. No doubt it was Jack, his agent, with word that the "Brian 'Smash' Williams is Gay" headline was going to break Monday morning.

He chuckled to himself. At least Bridget wasn't going to make any money out of blackmailing him. He didn't know who had leaked the rumor, maybe it was the cute model, but a reporter knew, and if she knew, everyone else would know real soon, whether he made a statement or not.

And maybe it was obvious. Landry—coming out to him like that? What the hell was that about? Landry knew, he had to know—some people were just born with gaydar. Smash didn't have it, but he was sure Landry Clarke did, and he had Smash locked in his sights.

He thought back to the business card the reporter had left him. It was still on the table at the restaurant, but he remembered where she was staying. Maybe he could talk to her, convince her to wait a few days.

He stepped out of his rental car and walked toward the field. In his heart, he knew talking to the reporter wouldn't make a difference. He was big news in the world of football, and this story was going to break with or without him.

Smash walked a few rows up into the home team bleachers and sat down. He looked out over his old football field. This was where it had all started. The first glory days. After Dillon it had been California, then Florida, then New York. He'd made history in every city. Set records wherever he played.

And now, did it really make a difference?

Smash closed his eyes and imagined being back here on a Friday night. Catching a long pass from Saracen, waiting for Riggins to crush a linebacker so he could run right into the end zone. Those memories were perfect, golden. And now it was tarnished all to hell.

* * *

Tim didn't want to go to Landry's house. He knew Tyra was with Landry, romantically, or sexually or maybe they were just friends, but it was more than Tim had. All this time she'd been out there hiding this from him, keeping his kid a secret. And Landry had helped her. There'd been a time when Landry had helped him and Tim felt like they had an understanding—a bond, but he guessed all that faded with time.

He stared at the old house, unable to force himself out of his truck. Tyra was staying here, which also meant Jake was staying here and Tim wasn't ready to see the boy yet.

Apparently 10 minutes in someone's driveway bordered on stalker-territory because that was when Landry walked outside.

"Hey man," Landry said, his eyes squinted in the sun.

Tim wanted to punch him. He rolled down his truck window and looked at Landry.

"You know why I'm here?" Tim asked.

Landry nodded and looked down at the ground.

"So what, you're like his pretend dad or something?" Tim spat.

Landry looked like Tim had slapped him. Good. Tim didn't even have to raise a hand.

"You should talk to Tyra." Landry took a step back, towards the safety of the house. "She's not here, but she'll be at the party tonight."

Tim pursed his lips and drummed his thumbs on the steering wheel. He wasn't sure his courage would hold out until tonight. And he wanted some answers now.

"Just tell me why? How could she do this?" He was pathetic, begging Landry Clarke for answers to his life. But he was desperate.

Landry just shook his head and took another step backwards. "I won't do that to Tyra, Tim. I won't. Talk to her."

Landry walked up the driveway and disappeared inside the house. Tim slammed his hand down hard on the steering wheel. Landry was probably fucking her. Had probably been sleeping with her before she even left Dillon.

Tim pulled out of the driveway and squealed his tires as he pulled away. He needed a place to cool off, think about what he would say to Tyra when he finally found her. And he had to get the urge to physically hurt someone out of his system. He headed towards the field.

* * *

Jason was still holding his cell phone when Lyla walked out of her mom's house.

"Just like old times," she said as she leaned in and kissed his cheek.

"Yeah, still no way to get up to your front door," Jason responded.

Lyla stepped back and cocked an eyebrow at him. "Is something wrong?"

Yes? No? Jason wasn't sure. Normally not being able to get up to someone's door wasn't a big deal. There was a lot of the world that didn't have a ramp or a curb cut. But seeing the stairs before him at the Garrity house just pissed him off. He wasn't sure if it was the after affects of the beer or the conversation with Tim, but his 'challenges of disability' tolerance level was exceedingly low this morning.

Jason took a deep breath and looked up at her. "I just...I just wanted to come over and say that I don't think we should be doing this anymore."

"Doing this?" Lyla replied, her voice rising. "Doing what? Being friends?"

"Friends with benefits," Jason responded. "I think we're confusing the issue."

Lyla stepped back toward the door and crossed her arms. "I don't get it. What happened between this morning and now?"

"We've been in this holding pattern for ten years, Lyla. Don't you think it's about time we both got on with our lives?"

"Sure, Jason," Lyla spat back. She turned on her heel and headed into the house. As she reached the door, she stopped and turned back. "It's been nice being friends."

Jason sat for a moment after she disappeared into the house. A feeling of numbness washed over him like the night he broke his neck. It felt like he was losing something worse than his legs and hands. He headed back to his car, transferred in and sat there for a minute, waiting for inspiration on what to do next.

Then it came to him. He'd go back to the last place he was whole.

* * *

Matt pushed open the door to the house he shared with Julie. It was quiet. He crossed the living room to find a note on the breakfast bar.

_Went to the mall with my mom. Be back around 2. Love, J._

He laid the flowers he was carrying on the counter next to the note. 'Love, J.' That was a good sign. He smiled and walked over to the couch. She had been really upset about something the night before, but he knew they would work it out.

_Matt walked into the room, pulled up a chair and sat down._

_"Hey, grandma," he said, leaning forward to take her hand._

_She turned and smiled at him._

_She didn't talk much anymore and she hadn't known who he was for nearly a year. But he couldn't forget how she had taken care of him when there was nobody else around to do it. He would never stop coming to see her._

_"I'm graduating from college next week. And Grandma—I'm going to ask Julie to marry me."_

_Matt paused to see if there was any flicker of recognition. There wasn't. Instead his grandmother rocked in her chair and tapped her foot lightly on the floor._

_"I hope I can be as good a husband to her as grandpa was to you," Matt continued. "I love her very much."_

_Matt sat with her for a few more minutes, then moved to stand up. As he did, his grandmother tightened her grip on his arm. He paused, not sure of what she wanted, then watched as she reached over and slid the delicate diamond ring from her left hand._

_He stood for a moment, not sure what to do, then took the ring she held out to him. He leaned in and kissed her._

_"I love you, Grandma."_

The phone began to ring. Matt grabbed it. "Hello?"

"Meet me outside," his future father-in-law said. "I've had enough of sitting around listening to Buddy Garrity tell me the benefits of remarrying young."

"Uh, okay, sir," Matt stammered.

"And bring a football," Eric said as he hung up.

* * *

Lyla crossed into the park and picked up her running pace. After the frustrating conversation with Jason, she had put on her running shoes and told her mom she'd be back later. She thought that maybe the fresh air would help clear her head, but instead she just kept turning back to Jason's face as he told her to get on with her life.

Get on with her life!? Her feet pounded against the path as she tried to push the sound of his voice out of her head. He was lucky she had stuck around as long as she had—that she was even willing to still be his friend.

She ran up a hill and past the playground. At the top of the hill, she paused, leaning over, to catch her breath. When she stood back up, she noticed a woman pushing a little boy on the swings. She smiled, then was surprised to see Tyra Collette turn and wave.

So, this must be Tyra's son. Lyla waved back and began to jog over. The child's back was turned to her on the swing, but as she grew close, he jumped off and turned to face his mom.

Lyla stopped and stared openly at the little boy. He looked exactly like she remembered Tim Riggins looking the first time she met him in grade school.

"Wow...you must be Tyra's little boy," she said, holding her hand out.

"I'm not little, I'm eight," the young boy replied.

Lyla laughed and smiled at Tyra.

"Jake, this is Miss Garrity," Tyra said. "Can you say 'hello'?"

Jake took her hand and shook it. "It's nice to meet you, Miss Garrity."

Lyla smiled at him. "Nice to meet you too, Jake." Turning to Tyra, she said, "Wow—it's quite a resemblance."

Tyra stood with her hand on Jake's shoulder. Clearly protective of her son. Lyla couldn't say she was surprised to find out that Jake was Tim's, but how could Tyra have not told Tim? After all these years? Tim was going to be crushed.

"Hey, go check out the slide, Jake," Tyra instructed. Jake nodded and then took off for the tornado slide on the edge of the playground. Tyra watched him for a moment, then turned back to Lyla. She squinted her face. "So, it's pretty obvious?"

Lyla nodded, looking back at Jake climbing the ladder of the slide. The resemblance was uncanny. "Have you told Tim?" Lyla asked as they walked over to a bench.

"This morning," Tyra responded. "I don't think it was what he expected to hear."

Lyla nodded. "Well, Tim's real good at getting his emotions out—talking to people, letting them know how he feels."

Tyra laughed and Lyla joined her.

"Yeah, Tim Riggins—Mr. Emotion," Tyra said. "Although, you know, things had really changed that last year of high school. We were actually growing up, figuring things out and then everything happened at once."

Tyra looked so sad, Lyla wanted to comfort her. But Tim's troubled face from last night was still fresh in Lyla's mind. This was going to kill him. "Why'd you do it?" Lyla asked.

"Why'd you sleep with Riggins?" Tyra shot back.

Lyla shrugged—maybe she deserved that one. "I don't know. I still don't."

"Yeah," Tyra answered. "Me either."

Tyra looked over at Jake who was climbing back up the slide. "And I really thought I'd go tell my mom that I was pregnant and then I'd be back before Tim was out of the hospital—that I'd have a plan so that he wouldn't have to worry about the baby on top of everything else, but once I got there it just seemed so impossible to come back."

"But you did, eventually," Lyla said, her voice soft.

"Nine years later," Tyra replied. "I'm not proud of what I did and Landry's been telling me to just tell Tim for years, but I couldn't. I think...I think I was afraid of seeing Tim, that he would be a shell of himself or that he might have turned into something I didn't recognize, or maybe he'd even have a great life and there'd be no room for me and Jake."

Lyla could see that Tyra didn't believe her last words. They all still had some ties to Dillon, for Lyla it was her Mom and siblings, for Tyra it was probably Julie Taylor. Tyra had to know about Tim and Billy. She had to know that Tim was living the same life he had been when she'd left.

"You know he hasn't changed much, right?" Lyla said gently.

Tyra looked at her and smiled. "Yeah, down underneath it all, he's still the same Tim."

Lyla nodded. The look on Tyra's face said it all. She still had feelings for Tim. Of course she did; she wouldn't be so worried about his reaction to the news about Jake if she didn't.

"So, what's the deal with you and Landry?" Lyla asked.

Tyra laughed. "Well, he's not my boyfriend, if that's what you think."

Lyla shrugged. "Well, I know that. He's probably the only openly gay member of a Nashville country act. But you live with him?"

"I was managing him earlier, before he joined the band. It's worked out well and now I take care of his business stuff. He's been a good friend."

"Good friends are important," Lyla responded.

"Yeah, you looked pretty tight with Jason last night," Tyra replied.

"That's why I was out running," Lyla answered. Last night had felt so right, but obviously she'd misinterpreted Jason's feelings.

"I don't get it."

"Well, I thought maybe we were getting back together and then before we even did that, Jason came over this morning and...and I think he broke up with me again."

"He what?" Tyra asked.

Lyla laughed wryly. "Yeah, really. I just...I spent the night and everything was fine, then Tim showed up this morning. So, I went home and then Jason came over and he tells me there's no more 'friends with benefits' and I need to move on with my life."

"He said that? 'Friends with benefits'?" Tyra asked. "Wow...that's so 2005!"

"I just don't get it," Lyla said. "To be honest, we've been closer in the past few months than we have been in years."

"And when you left this morning, things were fine?"

"Yeah," Lyla said. "He said he'd call me later."

Tyra looked back at Jake. Lyla followed her gaze.

"You think Tim told him?" Tyra asked.

"About Jake? Probably, Tim looked pretty upset when he showed up."

"Then that's it."

Lyla wasn't following. How did Tim finding out he had a kid affect her and Jason?

Tyra said, "You know how Jason has always been—he's the great protector. If he told you to find someone else, he's trying to save you from something. You need to talk to him and find out what it is."

Lyla thought about what Tyra said. Why was it still so hard to understand Jason's intentions? It had been over a decade, shouldn't she have him figured out by now?

She stood up and pulled her hair tighter into a ponytail. It was time to find Jason and settle this once and for all.

* * *

Eric looked over at Matt as they pulled up at the old stadium. "Wonder if anyone minds if I take my old spot," the coach said as he pulled his truck into the Head Coach slot next to the field house.

"I can't imagine anyone's going to have you towed," Matt replied.

Eric smiled and ran his hand up in his hair—grayer now, but Tami said she didn't care as long as it was still thick and had attitude. They got out of the truck and started walking toward the field. It looked different. The ads along the stands had changed as new businesses came into town, although Buddy Garrity still covered ten yards on either side of the fifty-yard line. The more things changed, the more they stayed the same.

"Toss me the ball," Eric called back to Matt.

He watched as Matt cocked his arm back—his form still excellent—but instead of the ball dropping down into Eric's hands, it went over his head. He turned to follow the path as Smash Williams, New York Jets halfback, flew across the field and made a perfect reception.

"I miss catchin' your balls, Matty," Smash said as he turned and jogged up the field towards them.

"How you been, Smash?" Matt said, smiling.

"Good man. A bit ill from the breakfast."

Eric laughed. He felt ill himself, if only from spending so much time with Buddy.

Smash handed Matt the ball. "See if you can keep up with me."

Eric stood back and watched as Matt and Smash traded a few more passes, then glanced over his shoulder as two more vehicles drove up.

"You invite the whole team, Saracen?".

"No," Matt replied. "Guess everyone must have the good old days on their mind today."

Eric began walking over toward the gate. They had arrived separately, but Tim Riggins was waiting while Jason Street pulled his chair out of the car and reassembled it, popping the wheels on either side.

"Y'all need a hand?" he asked.

"I got it, Coach," Tim responded.

Eric smiled at the familiar term. He heard it every day, but coming from his old players was something special. He watched as Riggins followed behind Jason, waiting until they hit the turf to give his friend the extra push he needed to get across the soft grass.

"Did I miss a scheduled practice?" Jason asked as they headed toward the fifty-yard line.

"Nah," Eric replied. "But it's sure good to see y'all out here. Seems like there's an awful lot of people at this thing—I'm not even sure I know half their names."

Tim nodded. Eric looked over at him. Riggins had always been quiet, but his brow was creased like something was on his mind.

"Hey, Riggs, catch!"

Tim looked up as Smash cocked his arm and threw a soft pass. It fell right into Tim's hands; he barely had to take a step. Eric saw the smile tease his lips, replaced quickly with a grim frown. Tim reached back and threw a spiral pass to Matt. The kid still had talent.

"Don't play anymore," Tim called, turning to push Jason's chair again.

Smash shrugged. Embarrassed or not, Eric couldn't tell. Smash tossed the ball to Matt and the two continued playing.

Eric paused for a moment, watching the two friends move ahead of him—one in a wheelchair, the other with such a pronounced limp you knew he wore the pain of his injury every day. Damn...life just didn't make much sense some times.

He jogged a few steps to catch up with them. "Should we get some good seats to watch the experts?" he asked.

"Sure, coach," Jason responded.

Tim parked Jason's wheelchair at the foot of the stairs leading up to the announcer's booth. Eric sat down on the stairs, Tim sitting to his right and Jason on the far side. He leaned forward and watched as Matt called a play and Smash took off like a rocket. Smash had improved over the years, and he'd been great to begin with. No wonder he was featured on Sports Center regularly. And Matt had always had talent; he just chose to use it in other directions. His education and now coaching the kids back at Dillon High. Eric couldn't have been prouder of both of them.

He glanced over at Tim and Jason, both staring intently at their old teammates running two-man plays. He'd never gotten over Jason's injury, and then when his best friend had gone down for an entirely different reason...well Eric just didn't think fate had dealt them a fair hand.

"You boys ever get out to see a game?"

Jason shook his head. "I usually come back to Dillon in the summers, but not much during regular season."

Tim was just quiet. How he managed to avoid Friday night games while living in Dillon was beyond Eric. But then, if you wanted to bad enough, you could hide from anything.

Eric watched as Matt caught the ball and gestured for Smash to come off the field. They walked over and stepped between Eric and Tim to take a seat in the first row of the bleachers.

"So, how you been, Tim?" Eric tried again. "Work steady?"

Tim nodded. "Yeah, pretty good."

God. Getting a conversation started with these two was like pulling teeth.

"How's your brother?"

Tim was quiet, then he tipped his head to look at Eric. "You remember visiting Billy before you left for Texas Tech?"

Eric nodded. He remembered. He'd made a point of saying goodbye to Tim and Billy when he knew he wouldn't be around anymore.

Tim looked out over the field again. "Then you know how he is now."

The words cut Eric deeply. Tim had a lot of anger bubbling under the surface, but was it really about Billy? Now? So many years later?

"What's wrong, son?"

Jason looked over at Eric, almost begging him to keep quiet. Eric narrowed his eyes and shifted his gaze back to Tim. Riggins looked broken.

"I have a kid. He's eight. And I've never met him."

Eric's breath caught in his throat. Jake. He knew it. He'd known it the first time he met Tyra's son, but Tami had kicked him hard under the table when he'd asked Tyra who the father was. He'd only seen Jake twice, but it was undeniable that the child's father was Tim Riggins.

Eric cleared his throat and turned his focus back to the field. It was none of his business, and Tami would strangle him if he interfered, but these were his boys, he'd always thought of them as his own kids.

"Maybe it doesn't help much, but that kid really loves football," Eric said.

He saw Tim's shoulders stiffen.

Eric pressed on. "We had dinner with Tyra last Christmas. I taught Jake a couple of passes."

Tim's arm twitched and his head dropped lower. Eric reached a hand out and pressed it hard on Tim's shoulder. "He's a great kid, Tim. You'd be proud."

Tim stood up abruptly, his face a mask of stone. He turned to look at Eric, then over at Matt and Smash. "You knew, didn't you, Saracen?" His voice was angry.

"I...I..." Matt stammered.

"I think we all knew," Eric interjected. "He looks an awful lot like you."

Tim closed his eyes and walked a couple of steps away. It was obvious he needed to process this on his own, learn how to accept it. Then he turned back to the men watching him.

"You think its okay? What she did?"

Eric stood up, looking out at the field before finally meeting Tim's eyes. "It's not right to take away your choice to be a parent. But you can't change that now. You can only move on."

Tim didn't look convinced.

"You should meet him, son. He's a great kid."

Eric watched Tim waver. No one could tell him what to do, but Eric had to hope he would choose to embrace this. Maybe it would bring some light into his life.

Finally Tim nodded and took a step backwards. "Thanks, Coach."

Eric watched as Tim walked off the field, his limp noticeable, but covered well. That boy had been through more in his short lifetime than anyone deserved. And he certainly didn't deserve to have his own child kept secret from him.

He sat back down, chancing a quick glance back and Matt and Smash who were sitting there quietly.

"Julie tell you about this, son?" Eric asked Matt.

Matt shifted his eyes and looked away. "I...I'm really not supposed to tell."

Eric bit his lower lip and looked at Smash for support. "Women," he said bluntly. The meaning was implied.

Smash shook his head and leaned back against the row behind him. "Don't look at me, Coach. I ain't even playing in that league."

Eric furrowed his eyebrows. What was that supposed to mean? He looked at Smash questioningly.

"Don't miss the Monday Sports section. It's going to be a real page turner," Smash said.

Eric watched as Matt and Jason turned their heads to look at Smash. Were they as confused as Eric was?

"What's going on?" Eric asked.

Smash ran a hand over his mouth, looking away from the three other men staring at him. Maybe it was something he couldn't talk about. Or maybe he just didn't want to. Eric looked away just as Smash spoke.

"It's gonna say 'Smash Williams is Gay'," Smash said.

Eric looked back sharply.

"Is...is it true?" Matt asked.

Eric closed his eyes. God, that kid could be so stupid sometimes.

"I tried to get it stopped, but it turns out if what they're printing is the truth, you can't get an injunction for libel," Smash said.

Matt shrugged and looked down at Eric and Jason. Eric just shook his head.

Jason laughed suddenly, drawing the attention away from Smash.

"You think this is funny, Street?" Smash asked.

"No, no," Jason said. "It's just..." He paused and looked around at the other three. "Did we, like, save up a bunch of drama for this weekend? Because really, Tyra shows up with Landry and a kid, and then we find out he's Tim's kid. And Lyla can't get the idea that we're going to live some happily ever after fairytale out of her mind. And now Smash Williams, pro-footballer, is gay?

"Doesn't that seem like overkill to you?"

Jason had an incredulous smile on his face. Eric chuckled softly and looked up and Smash, who let a small smile break across his face.

"Landry is gay, too," Matt blurted out.

Jason laughed and threw his head back. "Of course he is!"

"And Julie thinks I'm forcing her to have kids, or something," Matt said. "I don't really know."

"She said that?" Eric asked. This was his little girl they were talking about now. Not just some high school alumnus with a secret to share.

Matt shrugged. "I don't know. I think we're okay, but she's upset. I really don't know."

"Talk to her, Saracen," Jason said. "Don't make the same mistake I did."

What mistake? Eric pushed his sunglasses up on his nose and looked at Jason.

Jason continued. "I should have been honest with Lyla a long time ago, and I wasn't. Now it's probably too late."

"Too late for what?" Matt asked.

"For us. For her. She wants a family, and I can't give that to her." Jason shrugged and continued. "I can't have kids."

"Really?" Eric asked. "I never knew that."

"It would pretty much take a medical miracle and I don't think that's exactly fair to her."

Eric looked down at his hands. These were heavy topics. Wasn't a reunion supposed to be about reminiscing and celebrating?

"Did you talk to Lyla about this?"

"Yeah, she gets it, I think."

"She does?" Smash asked

Jason nodded.

"Then why is she sitting on your car?"

Jason looked up at Smash, surprised.

Eric looked out at the parking lot. Lyla Garrity was perched on the hood of Jason's car.

"I don't think she quite 'gets it'," Eric said.

Jason looked at Lyla, then back at Eric. He was biting his lip and smiling.

"Go talk to her son, put ten years behind you and move forward."

Jason hesitated for a moment, then popped the brakes on his chair and tried to push in the soft grass.

Without waiting to be asked, Eric stood and grabbed the handles of the chair. He pushed until Jason was back on pavement and then stepped away. Jason pushed off himself, then turned and looked back at Eric.

"Thanks, Coach."

Eric smiled. He was just solving problems right, left and center today. He walked back to where Matt and Smash were sitting.

"So you gonna do something about this headline business?" he asked as he drew close to the pair.

"Not much I can do, Coach. It's not a lie."

Coming out wasn't something Eric had much experience with. Coaching on life matters was more Tami's field of expertise.

"You know," Eric said, running a hand through his hair. "I've been married a long time. And you don't get to stay married without learning a few things from your partner."

He looked at Smash and Matt.

"That piece of advice goes to you too, son," he directed towards Matt. "Whatever is happening with Julie, you go and talk to her." Eric knew his voice probably sounded demanding, but he wasn't about to stand back and see his little girl get hurt.

"And as for you." Eric turned back to Smash. "My very wise wife would tell you to grab the bull by the horns and get in front of this thing. You got an agent, right?"

Smash nodded.

"Call him. And get yourself on Sports Center or Larry King or the Dillon five o'clock news, but get yourself out there before this story breaks." Eric looked at Smash seriously. "You control this play, you got me?"

Smash looked down, his face blank. When he looked back up, he was smiling. "You always gave a good pep talk." He stood and moved down the steps to where Eric was standing. "Thanks, Coach."

Eric watched as Smash walked towards the parking lot.

"God, I'm exhausted." Eric looked up at Matt. "I'm serious about Julie. You better not hurt her."

"No...no sir."

"Good." Eric stretched his neck and took one last look around the field. "Now come on. We need a beer."

* * *

Jason pushed his chair across the parking lot to his car. "You following me?"

Lyla rolled her eyes at him. "God, we're not in high school, anymore, Jason."

Jason nodded. She had that right. "So, what are you doing here, Lyla?"

"I ran into Tyra at the park. And Jake."

"She told you?" Jason asked. When Lyla nodded, he continued, "Yeah, that's why Timmy came over this morning."

"So, I'm assuming something happened while you were talking to him."

Lyla was probing for something. What did this have to do with them? Jason tensed his shoulders. "We talked about what happened—what Tyra had done, about him having a kid."

"And that deep conversation made you come over to my house and 'break up' with me?" Lyla asked, raising her hands to make quote marks.

"Break up with you?" Jason asked.

"Yeah, cause that's what it sounded like to me," Lyla answered. "After the past few months, when we've been almost figuring things out again, you come over and tell me to move on with my life? That sounds like we're breaking up."

"But we aren't even together."

"And why is that, Jason? 'Cause I love you. And I think you love me. So what in the world is going on?"

Jason rubbed his hand along his face.

"I know it's something," Lyla stated. "You always do that when it's something you don't want to say."

Jason dropped his hand down to his lap. "Do what?"

"You do that thing with your hand," Lyla answered. "You've been doing it your whole life."

Jason looked up at her, his eyes washing over her face. He should just tell her. This was Lyla. She deserved the truth.

"I can't have kids."

Lyla slid off the hood of the car and stood in front of him, leaning against the car door. "That's what this is about?"

"Yeah," Jason answered. His heart was racing. He braced for the slap, verbal or from her own hand, but instead she dropped down and met his eyes.

"Did you think it would matter that much to me?" Lyla asked

"You've already given up so much for me," Jason answered. "This didn't seem fair."

"Not fair would be you not letting me be part of the decision," Lyla responded. "If we do this, we're going to be partners. I want to be your partner in everything, Jason Street." She reached out and slipped her hand in his, gripping his fingers securely.

"Are you proposing to me?" he asked, smiling nervously.

"Maybe I am," she replied, kissing the fingers on his left hand. "I do want a family, but I only want one with you. And if it doesn't happen for us, then I still want there to be an 'us'."

Jason stared at her. She would give up the chance at a family just to be with him? He closed his eyes. Of course she would. Like she told him in those first few, scary days in the hospital—they were Jason Street and Lyla Garrity. And everything was going to work out just like they planned it.

_/tbc/_


	9. Chapter 8

Reunion

**Reunion  
Chapter 8**

When Julie walked in her house and saw flowers resting on the table, tears sprang to her eyes. She'd treated Matt horribly and in return she got flowers? It didn't seem fair.

Carefully trimming the stems, she arranged them in a vase. They were lilies, her favorite. She was bent over breathing in the rich scent when the door opened behind her. Her stomach dropped as she turned to see Matt standing there.

"Hi," Matt said softly.

"Hi," Julie echoed.

She turned back to the flowers, gathering strength to face him and explain why she'd treated him so horribly the night before.

Matt beat her to it. "Look, Julie, I'm sorry."

"No, Matt, don't. I should be apologizing to you. I shouldn't have been mad at you. You didn't do anything."

Matt just looked at her. Mute.

"I just..." Julie picked up the vase and walked to the table. Carefully she placed the flowers in the center and adjusted the petals slightly. She sat down at the table and rubbed her hands on her jeans. She had to tell him, just tell him everything.

"I had surgery."

Matt's eyes widened. "You what?"

"It was nothing, not really." Julie shook her head. "It's the endometriosis, you remember."

Matt nodded, his face a mix of concern and shock.

"Well, I was having a lot of pain and so my doctor did some tests and she recommended surgery." Julie laughed sharply. "Or, actually, she recommended not having children, but I wouldn't do that." She couldn't meet Matt's eyes. She shrugged and continued, "So I had surgery to try and repair the damage and give us a chance."

Slowly, she peeked up at Matt. He was gripping the back of a chair, his knuckles white against the dark wood.

"You had surgery?" Matt's voice was little more than a whisper.

Julie nodded, her eyes filling with tears. Her voice broke as she spoke. "They don't think I can have children."

Matt pulled out the chair he was holding and dropped down onto it. His hands flopped uselessly on his lap. He stared at the floor, his expression unreadable.

Brushing at the wetness on her face, Julie stared at the flowers Matt had brought her. They were so beautiful. He was always doing kind little gestures for her, making dinner, or cleaning the kitchen when she worked late. He didn't deserve to be treated like this. To have this kept from him.

She looked over at her future husband, wondering how he felt about her news.

When he lifted his head, his mouth was set in a thin line. "Are you okay?" he asked.

Julie was surprised by his question. "You mean, the surgery?"

Matt nodded.

"Yeah, it was just out-patient. Just testing, really. To see...to see if it was possible..." Her voice trailed away.

Matt nodded again and stood up, his chair scraping loudly on the floor. He walked to the edge of the room and back again, balling his fist into his hand and shaking it loose again.

"Matt, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to keep this from you."

"But you did," Matt said.

Julie closed her eyes, tears spilling onto her cheeks.

"How could you shut me out?"

She could feel Matt's eyes boring into her but she couldn't look at him. She didn't want to see the look of disappointment on his face.

"I don't..." Matt turned away, walking to the edge of the room again. This time he stopped and looked back at her over his shoulder.

Julie finally raised her head and met his eyes.

"We're supposed to get married, Julie. You're supposed to trust me." Matt shook his head, his face crumbling. "But you don't, do you?"

He stood there, watching her. If he was waiting for an answer, Julie didn't have one to give. She hadn't trusted him, not with this. And she didn't know why. She looked back at the flowers.

She was still staring at the flowers when Matt walked out of their house and closed the door behind him. Julie let her tears fall free, sobs shaking her body.

* * *

He knew just where they were going—it was the golfing place. Tim took him there sometimes after Billy did something wrong. Tim would get all mad and then he'd get that funny look and they'd go out and get in Tim's big truck and go to the golfing place.

"Let's go, Billy," his brother said when he opened Billy's door. Billy climbed out of the truck and followed Tim up to the little building where they would get their golfing stuff.

"I want blue," Billy said as Tim handed him the putter.

Tim nodded and handed him the blue ball.

"Good to see you, Billy," the pretty girl behind the counter said.

"Good to see you, Sarah," he responded. He liked her. She was pretty and she knew his name and she always talked to him. Lots of people never talked to him.

"You want to go first?" Tim asked as they walked up to the first hole. "You need to watch out for the windmill, but the hole is right beyond that.

Billy knew about the windmill and the hole behind it. And he knew he'd beat Tim because he always did. He lined up and shot the ball straight past the windmill and into the hole.

Billy watched as Tim tried the same shot, but Tim's ball popped out of the hole and over into the corner. He turned and looked at his brother.

"Tim?"

"Yeah?" Tim responded as he lined up for his next shot.

"Why was Tyra talking to you today?"

Tim turned and looked at Billy. "You remember Tyra?"

Billy laughed. "I'd climb that tree."

Tim laughed as well. "Be careful who you say that to, Billy."

He didn't know why Tim said that. He asked Tim once what it meant after he heard some of the guys at the ice cream store say it and Tim said it meant you liked a girl. And he liked Tyra. She was always nice to him before, when she used to live here.

"Does she live back in Dillon now?" Billy asked as they walked to the next hole.

"No, she lives in Nashville with her little boy," Tim replied.

Billy frowned. He didn't know about that. "She has a little boy? What's his name?"

"It's Jake," Tim said as he lined up and hit his orange ball.

"But she's your girlfriend," Billy said.

Tim turned and faced Billy. "You know she hasn't been my girlfriend for a long time now, Billy."

"But you love her and I think she still loves you," Billy replied.

"Why do you say that?" Tim asked.

Billy just knew it. It was how he knew Tim loved him even when he yelled. It was the same with Julie—she was so nice when she came over to see him and always asked him what he was up to even though he never did anything except with Mrs. Anderson or Tim.

"Just 'cause."

"Hole three, Billy," Tim instructed. "Don't forget about the water on the left."

Like Billy could ever forget that one.

"Hey, Billy!"

Billy looked around and saw his friend, Laura. Usually he only saw her at Goodwill where Mrs. Anderson took him every day to work. "Hi, Laura!"

Laura ran over and hugged him. She always hugged when she saw her friends.

"This is my brother, Tim," Billy said. "This is my friend, Laura. We work together."

Tim held his hand out to shake Laura's and she hugged him. She looked kind of funny next to Tim. Laura was very short and Tim was very tall. He thought Laura was pretty. She didn't look like the other girls but she was really nice.

"Hi, I'm Maureen."

Billy watched as Laura's friend, Maureen, started talking to Tim. He didn't know her very well, but she brought Laura to work every morning and picked her up at night. He asked Laura once if Maureen was her sister because Tim picked him up from work, but Laura said that Maureen was her roommate and that they lived together in a big house with other girls.

Billy loved Tim, but it would be fun to live in a big house with other people, too.

"Tim, can I go get ice cream with Laura?" Billy asked.

"Do you want to finish playing?"

"Nah, I'm gonna win anyway."

Tim smiled and reached in his pocket for some money. Billy took it and walked over to the little shop with Laura. He hoped they had chocolate, that was his favorite.

* * *

Lyla smiled as the warm afternoon sun peeked in through the hotel curtains. She rolled on her side, leaning on her elbow. Jason had maneuvered to the side of the bed and was sitting there, his arms holding his balance. She reached up and traced her hand down the back of his neck, along his scar to the muscles that rippled along his shoulders.

"So, was this a good choice?" she asked as she sat up and slipped her arms around him.

Jason turned to look around the room. "Definitely. I never thought I'd stay in a hotel in Dillon, but between my twin bed and your second story bedroom, I think we deserved it."

"Your parents will understand, right?" Lyla asked as she kissed him on the neck.

"Yes, they definitely understand and frankly I think they're just glad they don't have to be eye witnesses to our reunion," Jason said.

Lyla kissed his shoulder, then laid back on the bed. "I think your mom probably has it figured out from this morning."

Jason laughed. "You don't think your covert 'I was sleeping on the floor' move worked?"

She swatted his back and smiled. Jason's parents liked her, she knew that, she always made sure to see them when she was back in Dillon. But getting back together with their son was big news. "Do you think we should go by your place?"

"They'll be there tonight. And you know my mom, very observant." Jason looked back at her and grinned.

Lyla stretched and looked at the clock. "We need to get ready for tonight. Do you...do you need help with anything?"

Jason pulled the transfer board from his chair and carefully slid from the bed into his chair. "Nope, I've got it—unless you want to join me in the shower?"

Lyla slid from the bed and pulled on the robe lying on the end of the bed. She walked over and bent down to kiss him. "I would like nothing more. I'm going to get some ice first and then I'll be in."

As Jason headed for shower, Lyla grabbed the room key and headed into the hall. A door down the hall opened up and Tami Taylor stepped into the hall.

"Lyla!" she called. "You aren't staying with your mom?"

Lyla blushed and pulled her robed closed tighter. "Uh...no, not tonight."

"You having your own reunion?" Tami asked, smiling.

"What?" Lyla asked.

Tami pointed at the door Lyla had just closed and the blue and white wheelchair sign on it. "Accessible room. I'm assuming that's not for you?"

Lyla smiled. "No. It's not."

"Good for you, Lyla," Tami replied. "I saw a bond between the two of you, even when you were so young and had so many challenges. I'm glad you've found one another again."

"Thanks, Mrs. Taylor," Lyla responded. She lifted the ice bucket. "I'd better finish my errand—someone's waiting for me."

Lyla quickly filled the ice bucket and headed back into the room. She could hear Jason in the shower, singing. Everything felt lighter somehow—like it was all so right and they both finally knew it at the same time.

* * *

Tami leaned over her husband and shook his arm gently. "Time to wake up, babe. We're gonna be late."

He'd been asleep on the bed when she'd gotten home from shopping with Julie. She'd wanted to wake him up right away and tell him everything Julie had shared with her, but he looked so peaceful. And she needed time to process what was going on with their daughter.

Julie was so grown up, so mature, and yet today, when she'd teared up twice just hugging her mother, Tami felt like she had a brand new baby—someone she had to protect from the world.

She looked in the mirror and brushed mascara on her lashes. Tonight they were going to a dinner and dance celebrating the 2006 State Champions. She had been looking forward to it, but now, with Julie and Matt foremost on her mind, she wanted nothing more than to drive over to her daughter's house and hold her.

Behind her, Eric rolled over on the bed and rubbed his face. "What time is it?"

"It's after 5, you need to shower."

He sat up and leaned over on his knees. "I must have fallen asleep watching TV. I took Matt out for a beer earlier. Guess it caught up to me."

Tami looked at Eric's reflection in the mirror. "You saw Matt?"

"Yeah, we went out to the field for a while, saw a few of the other players." He stood up and pulled off his T-shirt.

Tami pushed her mascara wand down into the tube, twisting it slowly. "Just like the good old days?" Tami asked.

"Somethin' like that," Eric replied as he came over, slid his arms around her and gave here a quick kiss on her neck. "Although I could have used you down there. Would you guess that Smash Williams is gay?"

Tami dropped her mascara back into her make-up bag and turned around. "You are not messin' with me, are you Eric Taylor?"

Eric threw up his arms. "God's own truth. Some reporter is going to tell the whole story. I reached down into the depths of my 'Tami Taylor True Wisdom' bag and recommended that he control the story and get it out there on his own terms first."

"He's not going to do it at the dinner tonight, is he?" Tami asked.

"No, I think they set it up for Sunday."

Tami turned back to the mirror and began applying her lipstick. "Did Matt say anything to you?"

"About what?"

She took a slow breath. Julie wouldn't want her to intrude, but she couldn't help it. She was worried about them. "About Julie?"

"Oh, yeah, don't worry about that." Eric seemed nonchalant. "I told him not to hurt her."

Tami slid the cap back on her lipstick and turned around. "You what?"

"It's fine. He's a good kid. He's not going to hurt Julie."

She stared at her husband, mouth agape. He really was dense sometimes. "Why? Because he'd afraid you'll kick him off the team?"

Eric looked at her, a smile twisting at the corner of his mouth.

"You know," Tami continued, crossing her arms on her chest. "Just because you wish it, doesn't make it so. And besides, maybe Matt didn't do anything wrong."

"Well if Julie's upset about something..."

Tami flicked her hair over her shoulder and shook her head. She loved this man so much, but sometimes he just laid it out so logically that she wanted to scream. It was so much more complicated than he realized.

"Babe...our little girl is all grown up now, with real problems of her own. A pep talk with her husband is not going to magically fix everything."

"They're not married yet," Eric grumbled.

She closed her eyes, breathing in deeply. Her chest ached with the need to hug Jules, to just hold her tight.

"Hey," Eric said, walking towards her. He brushed his hand along her arm. "What is it?"

Tami opened her eyes and looked at him. "I think Julie really needs us."

Eric questioned her silently.

"You remember when she was in college and she found out she had endometriosis?"

"You know I don't know about all that girl-stuff."

Tami gritted her teeth. "But you know about your daughter. And her doctor thinks she might not be able to have children."

Eric stared at her, clearly taking in the information. He reached up and scrubbed his hand through his hair, mussing it even further.

"Really?"

Tami blinked back tears and turned around to the mirror. She stared at her reflection. She didn't want any pain for her child but she was feeling it heavily today.

Eric slipped his arms around her waist and leaned his chin on her shoulder. "What do we do?"

"Nothing."

He met her eyes in the mirror.

"She needs to work this out with Matt, but we'll be there to support her."

Eric didn't look convinced.

"Silently," Tami added, her voice firm.

Her husband nodded and pressed his lips to her neck. "I love you, you know that?"

"I know." She reached back and ran her hand through his hair, still thick after all these years. "Go shower. I want to call Julie before we leave, maybe go by their place."

Eric slipped away from her and walked into the bathroom.

Tami rubbed her hand along her midsection where Eric's arms had rested. She wanted to give Julie all the happiness she had found herself, but she couldn't create it for her. She could only stand back and be supportive while Julie and Matt carved it out for themselves. She hoped they could do that, and that children, if they decided to have them, were in their future.

* * *

Lyla slid on her dress and reached back for the zipper.

"Come here, I can help with that," Jason said.

Lyla walked over and bent her knees so Jason could reach the zipper. It took a moment, but then she felt the zipper closing along her back. She turned and looked at him.

"You look very handsome," she said, trailing her hand down his shirt.

"You think it's okay I'm not wearing a suit coat?" he asked. "I just feel so restricted in a jacket."

"It's fine, Jason. Do you want me to help with your tie?"

Jason nodded.

Lyla leaned down and began to cross the tie into a knot. She looked down at Jason's face. There were a couple more lines—mostly from smiles, but he was still the boy she fell in love with the first time she saw him. She pulled the knot tight.

"How's that?" she asked.

Jason reached up and pulled her close as he kissed her. "Perfect."

And it was. Everything felt so perfect now. She wondered if it was being back in Dillon again or that things had really changed for them. When they were in high school they had shared a young love. What she was feeling now was something very different—she had always cared deeply for Jason, but for the past few months she had found herself thinking of him constantly and considering him in her plans.

"Jay?" Her voice was quiet—not totally sure.

He looked up at her and smiled.

"The company wants to transfer me—they asked me if I would take over the division at the Dallas office."

"Seriously?" Jason asked.

Lyla nodded, her hands twisting. "I just don't know—I don't know about coming back here and the job and…"

Jason pulled her down onto his lap and stopped her fretting with a kiss. "I like the idea," he said. "I like it a lot."

"But I don't want to put any pressure on us or what this is or…"

"It's a good opportunity for you, Lyla," Jason said. "And if it means we're closer than it's not a bad thing." He kissed her on the forehead. "I hope you know this, but I love you, Lyla Garrity."

Lyla slipped her arm around Jason's shoulders and leaned in. "I love you, too, Jason Street."

* * *

Landry was slightly more impressed by the ballroom layout than the breakfast from that morning. Someone had wisely kept Brittany Garrity away from this shin-dig.

"You want a drink?" he said to Tyra.

She clutched her purse to her chest, nervously glancing around the room.

"Hey," Landry said, resting his hand on the small of her back. "Relax, I'm sure he'll show."

Tyra looked at him, her face a mix of emotions. "I don't know. I think he's really angry."

That was the understatement of the year. If looks could kill, Landry would be spread out in his driveway. But Tim Riggins had a soft spot for Tyra--anyone could see that. He'd get over his anger, if only to meet Jake at least once.

And then where would that leave Landry? Left to pick up the pieces when Tim decided he didn't want to play Daddy, or cast aside when the Collette family expanded by one?

He turned away from Tyra and ordered two glasses of Merlot. He needed a drink and Tyra was getting one whether she wanted it or not, she looked frazzled. No one could predict how Tim would react to this news, so Landry was going to try hard not to think about it.

Tyra accepted the wine glass and took a large sip. "There's Julie and Matt, I should go talk to her."

Landry looked over at Julie and Matt walking into the room. When Julie saw Tyra, she moved away from Matt without a word in his direction. Matt, in turn, moved toward the bar.

"Hey, buddy," Landry drawled as he leaned against the bar and sipped his wine. "How's life?"

Matt glared at Landry and ordered a beer. "Thanks for the advice."

"It worked, right? She dug the flowers?"

"Oh yeah, she loved the flowers. They were a great buffer when she told me she didn't trust me."

Landry was confused. He thought they were fighting about not wanting kids, or wanting them too much, or something to do with a small misunderstanding. Trust? What had happened?

Matt turned around to lean against the bar alongside Landry. Julie and Tyra were just ahead of them, Tyra with a supportive hand on Julie's shoulder.

"When I asked her to marry me, I thought I knew her. Now…"

"Whoa. What happened?"

"Just…" Matt shrugged. "I don't know, Landry. Is it always so confusing? I thought this was supposed to get easier."

Like Landry knew the answer to that. He hadn't had a relationship last more than a year, if you didn't count Tyra. He looked out at the two women; Tyra was full-on hugging Julie now. He knew Tyra could comfort her--she had that gift. She'd been Landry's confidant for years and even without the romantic side to their relationship, there was a closeness he wasn't ready to lose.

"Trust me, Matty. It does not get easier. You just get better at dealing with it."

"What's wrong with you?"

"My non-wife is probably going to leave me for another man." Landry shook his head. "So sad."

"Riggins?"

Landry laughed. "Isn't it always?"

That earned a smiled from Matt. He took another mouthful of his beer. "Maybe I should just forget it."

"Do you want to tell me what happened?"

"Not really," Matt replied.

"Fair enough."

Matt was quiet, then he looked over at Landry. "Be my wing man?"

Landry raised his eyebrows.

Matt nodded towards the girls. "Let's just have fun. Let's forget about problems and secrets and just enjoy this weekend. When are we all going to be in the same room again?"

Landry smiled. Yes. Hell, yes. He just wanted to have fun and forget about what life changes awaited him once Tyra's old flame walked into the room. He clinked his glass against Matt's bottle and together they walked toward the girls.

* * *

Tim saw Tyra as soon as he entered the ballroom. She looked gorgeous in a slim back dress that revealed more skin than it covered. She was standing with Landry, smiling at something he just said. Tim felt his cheeks grow hot. The urge to punch that guy was back with a vengeance.

Walking quickly over to her, he placed his hand on her elbow.

"We need to talk."

Tyra looked at him with wide eyes, but nodded. He wasn't sure where they were going, but he had to talk to her, and it couldn't be under the prying eyes of half his old team. He kept his hand on her elbow and steered her out of the room. There was a janitor's closet just down the hall. Tim smiled wryly as he opened the door. Their junior prom had been in this ballroom. And he and Tyra had christened this closet.

He flipped on a light and looked around. It was cluttered, but empty. It would do. Tyra sat down on a stack of boxes, wrapping her arms tight around her chest. Tim stared at her for a minute, unsure of what to say. She looked cold.

"Tim," she finally said.

"No. Don't talk." He was so angry. He took a deep breath and puffed it out slowly. Glancing over at her sitting there, he shook his head.

"If you didn't want me to know him, you still could have told me. I got rights."

"I know, I..."

"No," he interrupted, holding up his hand. "You've had eight years to think about this. It's my turn now. You don't get to talk just yet."

She looked like he had slapped her. He was getting good at this.

He bit his lip and tried to find the words to explain what he was thinking. He felt like reaching out and grabbing her. Like squeezing her until she took it all back and erased the last nine years.

"I didn't deserve this. I had a dad who walked out and now you've made me just like him. That's not fair."

Tyra stared at him, her cheeks red. She was ashamed. Good.

Tim ran a hand through his hair, pacing back and forth in the tiny space. His leg ached, but he had to move—he couldn't think if he was standing still. He didn't know what he was supposed to say here. He was angry with her, but she looked so sad sitting there. So sad and cold. Tyra shivered and rubbed her arms briskly.

"Here," Tim said, stripping off his suit jacket. He placed it around her shoulders, letting his hand rest on her shoulder when she peered up at him.

Tyra reached up and gently placed her hand atop his. "Thanks," she said.

Tim's stomach clenched. He felt his anger draining away. Removing his hand, he sat beside her, leaning forward to rest his forearms on his legs. His hands fell between his knees, curling into fists. A kid, he had a kid. He had to keep repeating it to himself so he would believe it. It just wasn't possible that this had happened to him. To them.

"I don't know what I'm supposed to do here." There, that was honesty. It felt a whole lot better than anger.

Tyra was quiet, then she asked, "Do you want me to talk now?"

Tim glanced back at her, seeing a nervous smile on her lips. Did he really want her to explain? He didn't think there was any explanation that would remove the lump that had been sitting in his gut since that morning. And no amount of talking could fill the hole in his chest that had been nine years in the making.

Slowly he sat back, brushing his shoulder against hers. "Does he know about me?" he asked.

Tyra's voice was soft. "Yeah, I told him today." She fingered the edge of Tim's jacket. "But he's always known about you. Things you liked. Just, things I told him about you."

Tim looked over at her. "Like what?"

"Like football and that you have a brother. He is always bugging me for a little brother." Tyra blushed and looked away. "I told him that we were in love but we couldn't be together. I told him about the accident. And that you had to stay here and take care of your brother."

Tim felt his anger flare. "So it's my fault?"

"I'm sorry Tim." She wouldn't meet his eyes. "It wasn't fair to put it all on you. But what could I say? 'Your mom was too selfish to tell your dad about you?'"

"That'd be the truth."

Beside him Tyra stiffened and shifted slightly away from him. Tim closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He thought back to what Jason had said to him that morning. _Give her a chance to tell you what happened._ If he didn't tread carefully, he was going to lose her again, and with her, the chance to ever know his son.

He relaxed his posture and let his hands flop onto his lap.

"You gotta give me time with this. I'm angry, Tyra. I'm real angry. And I think I got a right to be. But if you want to explain it, I'll listen."

She looked at him, hesitation evident on her face.

Tim nodded, silently trying to convince her.

Tyra took a deep breath and started talking.

* * *

Tyra let loose eight years of stories. Birthdays, first steps, how shy Jake was in school until he had a really great teacher who coaxed him out of his shell.

"He plays pee-wee football. And believe me, it wasn't my choice. But I told him you used to play. I think...maybe that's why."

Tim looked down at his hands. "Yeah, well that's not something I can help him with now. But I'm sure Landry could—he has to have picked something up from Saracen."

Tyra looked at Tim, then she shook her head and laughed. "It's not like that, Tim."

"What do you mean?" Tim asked.

"I mean, we live with him, but we're not together. Landry is gay, Tim. He's my friend and he's Jake's friend, but he's not my husband or boyfriend and Jake has never thought he was his father. You're the only father he's ever known."

Tim looked at Tyra and shook his head. "Gay? Seriously?"

Tyra nodded.

She wasn't with Landry. Gay uncle wouldn't have been his first choice for a fill-in daddy for his son, but somehow just knowing that Landry wasn't competition made it easier to take.

"Gay?" he said again, disbelief echoing in his voice.

Tyra placed her hand on Tim's leg. "Jake wants to meet you, Tim. He asked me if we could go to your house today, but I wanted to give you some space."

Jake wanted to meet him. Tim almost felt like crying. That was the choice taken right out of his hands, wasn't it? If Jake wanted to meet him, Tim wasn't going to say no.

"Okay." Tim smiled. "I guess, tomorrow morning?"

"That'd be nice." Tyra returned his smile.

"Maybe I could meet you somewhere?"

"I took him to the park today," Tyra said. "He fell in love with the slide. I could meet you there."

Tim nodded and looked away from her. He was actually going to do this. Meet his own child. It felt surreal. Could he actually do this? Be a Dad?

"I guess we should get back in there." Tyra stood up and let Tim's jacket fall from her shoulders. "Thanks," she said, handing it to him.

Tim stood and put the jacket on, reaching up to straighten his tie.

"Here, let me." Tyra's hands were cold against his neck. She tugged on his collar and tightened the tie securely.

"There." Her hands slid down his shirt, lingering on his chest. She looked so fragile standing there. She'd hurt him today. She'd hurt him nine years ago when she'd left. And yet, standing here in a room they'd once made out in, it all felt so trivial and useless. Why didn't he fight harder to find her? Why didn't he try to make it work?

"Tyra." Her name fell from his lips in a breathy whisper. His hand rose to cup her cheek. She didn't pull away, instead leaned in closer to his chest. Her eyes were lowered, then they peeked up and he felt himself falling.

He leaned down and captured her lips with his. All their painful history fell away and they were right back in high school. Tim felt like he'd been looking for something for nine years, and tonight he'd finally found it.

_tbc_


	10. Chapter 9

Reunion

**Reunion  
Chapter 9**

Smash pulled up in front of his mother's house. The gala dinner and dance were about to start, but he had to talk to his mother first. There were no obvious signs of the press, so hopefully that there hadn't been any leaks of the big news. At this point, he really didn't care who found out, but he wanted to be the one to tell his mother.

He locked the car and headed for the front door. This was going to be harder than coming clean to her about the steroids in high school. But she'd understood then and he had to hope she could handle this news too. He paused before slipping his key in the lock, took a deep breath, then turned the knob and opened the door.

There were no lights on in the entryway. Flicking a switch, he glanced into the living room off to the side. It was also dark, but he could see his mother sitting on the couch staring at nothing, just like she used to sit in that little living room in their old townhouse. Realization hit him hard. She knew. Who had told her?

Smash walked into the living room and slumped into the chair across from her. He dropped his head down into his hands.

"So, do you just lie about everything now, Brian?" she finally asked him.

He looked up at her, tears forming in the corners of his eyes. He had never wanted to lie to her. About anything.

He shook his head. "No, Momma."

"You know it's a sin," she responded.

"I know," he replied. And he did know. It was a wrong thing and more than anything else in the world, he wished he didn't feel this way. He had tried so hard not to be this person. Again and again he had dated women, tried to bury the desire to be with men that raged inside of him. He'd dated Waverly all through college and he'd been with Bridget for almost five years, but it wasn't what he wanted.

"And those girls—were you careful, Brian? Do you keep yourself healthy?"

He nodded. He had been extremely careful. Lots of guys who did it on the down low weren't, but he had been careful.

"So, you're doing some kind of interview?" his mom asked.

She knew about that too? He nodded again. There was a lump in his throat that he was pretty sure wouldn't let him speak.

"Why would you do that, Brian? Why shame this family and our name in this community?"

"They gave me no choice, Momma," he replied. "A reporter was going to write a story for the paper on Monday. There was no way to defend myself, to tell my side of the story. And...and I'm tired of running."

"They'll run you right out of this town."

"Maybe," Smash replied. "But this is who I am. I'm gay, Momma. I know you believe it's a sin and I'm doing something wrong, but being with women—that feels wrong too. And all this lying and covering things up—that feels the most wrong of all."

"I can't say I understand it."

Smash nodded his head again. He didn't understand it himself and he'd known for years. There was no way she could get right with this so quickly.

"I'll go," he said as he stood up. "I'll just get my stuff and get out of here."

"Brian Williams—the hell you will."

Smash stopped and looked back at his mother.

She stood up and walked across the room. "I don't understand this and I'm going to have to spend some time thinking on it, but you are my child. I love you, son. I don't always understand you, but I love you."

She slipped her arms around him and pulled him tight.

"Just don't make me go on tv and have to talk about this," she said as she patted his back.

* * *

"Lyla—don't you look nice!"

Lyla smiled as Jason's parents walked up to her. Joanne opened her arms and gave Lyla a hug.

"We're awfully glad to see you down here," Mrs. Street said as she tightened her arms around Lyla for a moment.

"How's New York?" Jason's dad asked.

"Good," Lyla replied as she tipped her head slightly, looking to see where Jason had disappeared to.

"I know Jason's been awfully happy to see you," Joanne said.

Lyla smiled and nodded. "I think we're both happy to see one another."

"Well, we're delighted as well," Mitchell replied as he tucked his arm around her.

"Hey, that's my girl," Jason teasingly warned his dad as he wheeled up to the group.

"You're a lucky man," his dad replied as he dropped his arm from Lyla's shoulder to clap Jason on the upper arm.

"How's the hotel?" Jason's mom asked him.

Lyla's eyes widened and she shot Jason a panicked look.

"Good bed?" his dad teased.

"We're going now," Jason said as he pivoted his chair away from his parents.

Lyla felt her cheeks flush. She smiled at Joanne and shrugged helplessly. It was one thing to know they knew about her and Jason, but to talk about it with them? Embarrassed, she moved to follow Jason.

"We'd love to have brunch after church tomorrow," Joanne's voice trailed out as they headed away from his parents.

"She's going to check the church's calendar when she's there tomorrow, you know," Jason said as they headed toward the bar.

Lyla laughed and looked back at Jason's parents, smiling when they grinned happily at her. She shook her head and looked back at Jason. "They're really happy for you," she said. "And I can take a little pressure." She leaned down and kissed him. "They're good parents, Jason. They just love you."

"Excellent," Jason answered. "So then I guess we should go tell Buddy that we're back together?"

Lyla smacked him gently on the back of the head and then walked faster toward the waiting gin and tonic.

* * *

Landry grinned at Matt and nodded slightly. Matt had his arm draped around Julie's shoulder and she was leaning into him heavily. They looked happy. And a happy Matt and Julie made for a happy Landry. All that thought of the two of them fighting made his head hurt. He needed a reason to believe real love could work. He needed a reason to hope that some day he would find what they had.

Glancing over his shoulder, Landry stared at the door to the ballroom. Tyra had left with Tim almost 30 minutes ago. How long did it take to have a fight?

He grimaced and took a long sip of his drink. He knew Tyra better than that. By now she probably had Tim aching to meet his kid and kissing her passionately. She still had it bad for Tim Riggins and there was no way Tim would resist her charms.

He excused himself from Matt and Julie and headed back to the bar. He needed another drink. Something much stronger than house Merlot.

Shooting another glance at the door, he caught sight of Smash hovering in the entryway. Was he...was he trying to hide? Landry ordered two glasses of scotch, straight. He crossed the room toward Smash and held out a glass.

"You realize that they're staring at you because you're a big NFL player, not because you're gay."

Smash humphed but took the glass. Landry took a sip of the burning liquid. He rocked on his heels and looked around the room. People always joked about being in a gay club, but standing here with Smash, he felt like he was a veritable member of the Dillon chapter, total membership: 2.

"So, I hear you're holding a press conference tomorrow," Landry said. "You get a major name to come down here? Or at least someone better than that Helen Stark."

Smash shook his head. Clearly he didn't want to talk about it. Landry decided to press on anyway.

"I mean, I came out in the Advocate, but frankly, I needed the press. I'm assuming you don't need the press."

No reply from Smash.

Landry sighed and tried another tactic. "You tell your family?" he asked as he took a step closer.

"Yeah," Smash finally responded.

"I can send my mom over with her copy of _Now That You Know_ if you want." Landry laughed at his own joke but stopped when he noticed that Smash wasn't smiling. He knew it was hard, especially when you were coming out to people you loved and didn't know what their reaction was going to be. He did not miss those days. Hell, those years.

"But seriously, I know we didn't grow up in the same Baptist church, but my mom and yours might have a few things in common that they're thinking right about now." Landry had a cousin that came out a few years after him. His Aunt had called his mother every day for a month wanting to talk about their shared experience. Landry thought his mom deserved an honorary membership in PFLAG.

"Your parents cool with this?" Smash asked.

"They always ask me how Tyra and Jake are," Landry said, shrugging. "I think my mom wishes Jake was her actual grandson instead of just a kid she can get away with buying tons of gifts for. But, yeah, they know and they haven't cut me off, although it's not like they're planning a Pride float for the parade during Dillon Days."

"I never wanted to hurt my momma," Smash said. "It's—you know it's different for me."

"Cause you're a big football player?" Landry asked. "And it's not for me 'cause I was a big ol' geek in high school?" Smash hadn't changed. Still full of ego, still full of bullshit.

"Naw, it's not that," Smash began. "It's not cool for brothers...to be...with brothers."

Landry closed his eyes and took another sip of scotch. Smash was in for a real eye-opener. A lot of the world thought it wasn't cool for people to be gay, not just his particular ethnic group. "Well, let me tell you, the gay section at the Grand Ole Opry is a pretty fun place to be too," Landry shot back.

"Shit," Smash said.

Smash actually looked shamed. It didn't make Landry feel better, but at least he didn't feel like he was beneath Smash somehow.

"I know it sucks now," Landry said, "but honestly, you're going to be much happier in the end. It takes more energy to hide than it does to come out. Trust me on that one. I know it seems pretty overwhelming right now, but call me in six months and I'm betting you won't regret that it happened."

Landry handed Smash his card.

"Thanks, man," Smash responded as he slipped the card in his blazer pocket. "Guess I better go make one more circuit of the room before everyone just remembers me as the fag running back."

"Six months," Landry replied.

* * *

Tami tried to muster a smile as Mayor Rodell did her own dramatic re-enactment of the final play of the state final game.

"Hon, Julie and Matt are over there. I'm going to go see how things are going," she said quietly to Eric, then turned and plastered a full smile across her face. "So good to see you, Lucy."

She didn't wait for a response from the mayor before heading across the room toward her daughter. Julie and Matt were standing together, talking. Things looked normal, but Tami felt a knot in her stomach. This was her baby girl, and if she was hurting even one little bit, she couldn't be at peace.

"Hey, Matt. Julie," she said as she greeted Julie with a kiss. "You look just beautiful, honey."

Matt smiled at Tami. Was there apprehension in his eyes? Or was Tami imagining it. She couldn't take this worrying about them. They deserved to be happy and not have this tension hanging over their heads.

"Hey, I'm going to go tell Landry we have spots at our table," Matt said. He kissed Julie lightly on the cheek and moved away.

"You okay?" Tami asked Julie.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Julie replied.

Tami reached up and brushed the hair away from Julie's face. "You look like you're trying to have a good time, but you're sure everything is fine?"

"I told Matt," Julie said quietly.

"Oh honey," Tami replied as she pulled her daughter into a tight hug. "Good for you. I'm glad you shared that with him."

Julie pulled away after a moment. "Yeah...me too. He seemed upset at first, but I think we're okay. He's a little quiet, but that's just Matt."

"He loves you, Jules. You know that."

"Yeah," Julie replied, nodding as she looked over at Matt talking to Landry. "We love each other."

Tami rubbed Julie's back briskly. She had to hope that was enough to see them through.

* * *

Tyra paused outside the ballroom and checked her reflection in a mirror. Her lipstick was smudged but her hair fell perfectly in a straight line to her shoulders. Now there was an advertisement for a great haircut—_makes it all the way to second-base in a janitor's closet_. With Tim Riggins nonetheless.

Smiling as she reapplied her lipstick, she thought about Tim's hands on her body. Caressing her shoulders, gripping her hips. He was rough and gentle at the same time. In nine years, he hadn't lost the ability to turn her insides to mush, make her knees buckle and her back arch. When he appeared in the mirror behind her, she blushed and averted her eyes. This was familiar and strange, a reunion of lost love. A part of her wanted it to work and another part, a larger part, was afraid of it failing. She had Jake to think about now and she couldn't just toss her life aside for a quick romp with Tim.

_"Jake, honey, come here I want to talk to you."_

_Tyra forced a smile on her face as Jake walked toward her, his thumbs furiously pounding the new handheld game Landry's mother had sent him yesterday. She was always doing things like that, sending random packages with toys for Jake, maybe some cookies for her and Landry. Mrs. Clarke loved Jake like her own grandson._

_"Can you put that away? I want to talk to you about something."_

_"One sec…just one…"_

_Tyra rolled her eyes. Boys and their toys. He was only seven and already he could work most appliances better than she could. She couldn't remember the last time she had programmed their DVD-recorder to record a TV show. He was a whiz and she bet he'd almost mastered this game after just getting it last night._

_"There," Jake announced, looking up at her through a messy mop of hair. "Finished all 10 levels. This game is easy."_

_She smiled and reached out to brush his hair away from his face. He wore it long, but a lot of that was her choice, wasn't it? Had she kept it long to remind her of Tim? She liked to think she didn't, but looking at him now, he had never reminded her more of his father._

_"You remember what you asked me last night?" Tyra asked._

_"Do I have a dad?"_

_Tyra winced. So innocent, so blunt._

_"Yes, about your dad. Come here and sit by me." Tyra shifted over on the couch so Jake could sit next to her. "You know, every person in the world has a mother and a father."_

_"Except for me. I have you and Landry."_

_"Well yes, you have me and Landry, and we love you very much. You also have Aunt Mindy, and Grandma Collette and Grandma and Grandpa Clarke that love you too. But I'm not talking about a mom and a dad that live with you every day; I'm talking about a mother and a father that make a baby together."_

_"You mean like sex?"_

_Tyra coughed. Dear Lord. "Who told you about sex?"_

_"Mom…"_

_She closed her eyes and smiled. She couldn't police every single thing he learned with his friends, but sex was a bit much for this young._

_"Okay, so you know about sex, but just a little, I hope. So you know that sometimes, when two people love each other very much, they make a baby together."_

_Tyra felt her stomach tighten. Oh God, she couldn't do this. She couldn't tell her son that he had a father that knew nothing about him. It wasn't fair!_

_She took a deep breath and steeled herself. "Do you remember me telling you about my friend Tim before?"_

_Jake's eyes narrowed and he tipped his head at her. "Is that the guy you loved?"_

_Tyra smiled and felt tears sting her eyes. "Yes, baby, that's the boy I dated in high school." She reached out and pulled Jake closer to her, gripping his shoulder tight with her arm. "I loved him very much back then, I want you to know that."_

_Her son nodded, waiting for her to say more._

_"But I had to move away, and you weren't even born yet, so I left and didn't tell him where I was. That was wrong. It wasn't nice of me to do that."_

_"But you had to live with Grandma and have me, right?"_

_Her tears were threatening to fall now. She blinked quickly and tried to continue. "Yes. I had to have you, and I wanted to be with Grandma in Nashville when that happened, but I should have told my friend Tim about you."_

_"Why?"_

_"Because Tim was very special to me, and together we created you."_

_Jake looked at her. He kicked his feet against the side of the couch._

_"Tim is your father, Jake. Tim is your Dad."_

_Scuffing his toe on the carpet, Jake stared at the floor for a minute, then looked up at Tyra. "Can we see him?"_

_Tyra closed her eyes, tears dripping down her cheeks. When she opened her eyes, Jake was staring at her, concerned._

_"Why are you sad, Mommy?"_

_Smoothing his hair with her hand, she smiled. "Mommy's not sad. I just love you very, very much. And I'm crying happy tears, honest."_

_"They don't look very happy," Jake muttered._

_Tyra laughed._

_"So can we see him? Can we see my Dad?"_

_"He lives a long, long way from here, baby. It's really far."_

_"Can we see him someday? Maybe on summer break?"_

_Tyra smiled and nodded her head. "Someday I'll take you to see him, I promise."_

_Jake smiled and pushed out of her arms. "Can I go play my game again now?"_

_She could only nod and watch him bound out of the room. For a long time, Tyra sat alone and let tears run down her cheeks. It was time to tell Jake, he was asking questions and deserved some answers. But what about Tim? Would she ever be able to tell Tim about his own son?_

_At that moment, she didn't know. She really didn't know._

Tim stepped in behind her and placed a hand on her hip. "Ready?"

Her heart jumped and she nodded. Maybe it would work out. Maybe this was the right path. Her, Jake, and Tim. It could work.

She slipped into the ballroom beside Tim. Everyone was seated, most people already eating their meals. She was surprised. How long had they been in that closet? Gripping his hand within hers, she ducked between the tables until she found Landry sitting with Matt, Julie, Eric and Tami. There were two empty seats at the table. For all his worrying about her and Tim, Landry had saved them a place. She placed her hand on his shoulder as she took the chair to his left, Tim sitting on her other side.

Landry turned to look at her, smiling. The smile fell from his face when he glanced at Tim. Tyra frowned at his reaction. What was wrong with him? She leaned forward to speak to him when Buddy Garrity's voice boomed across the room. She decided to let it wait until later.

"And finally, I want to introduce to you the man that made it all happen ten years ago—Coach Eric Taylor."

Tyra watched as the coach pushed back his chair from their table, got up and headed toward the stage. Buddy stepped aside, shaking the coach's hand, and then pulled him into a big bear hug.

"Thank you, Buddy. And thanks for the Booster Club for this great weekend and all the memories. Tami and I miss Dillon and it's so great to be back here with all of you and we're awfully glad that our family is going to be here for the next generation of Dillon Panthers.

"When this weekend was in the planning stages, the committee spoke to me about honoring a member of the 2006 Dillon Panthers team. I was reluctant to suggest someone because so many from the team have gone on to great things. I'm so proud of all the players, whether that has meant success on the college field, in the NFL or even back here in Dillon.

"But, to be fair, there's one person who I do think stands out from that team, who has taken the challenges that he faced and turned them into opportunities, not only for himself, but for so many others."

Tyra reached over and took Tim's hand. "Smash?" she whispered into his ear. Tim shook his head and nodded his head toward the table next to theirs where Jason and Lyla sat with his parents and her mother.

Jason. Of course.

"We all know that Jason Street had a great career in football ahead of him. Unfortunately, fate prevented that, but instead of letting it ruin his life, he's gone on to become a world-class athlete in a new sport—wheelchair rugby. He played for the US National team and won a gold medal at the 2012 Paralympic Games.

"But we're not honoring him for his efforts on the rugby court, tonight. Because while he was going to college at the University of Texas and playing rugby on the national and international circuit, he was also working to make a difference in the lives of other athletes who face life-altering injuries. The _Fourth and Long_ foundation was created to provide scholarships for high school football players whose injuries prevent them from attending college on an athletic scholarship. Since Jason started the foundation six years ago, over thirty former football players have been able to attend college despite losing their athletic scholarships.

"It is my honor as Jason Street's coach and his friend to present him with this first _Spirit of the Panthers_ award."

The crowd began to clap as Jason wheeled from his table to the edge of the stage. He pushed up the small ramp that had been set up and wheeled over to the podium where the coach stood. Eric moved the microphone stand, lowering it so that Jason could reach it easily.

"Thank you," Jason said. "Thank you, this is a great honor."

The clapping slowly ended as Jason lifted and shifted slightly in his chair.

"Ten years ago, my life changed in an instant. One minute I was a kid about to sign a national letter of intent to go to Notre Dame to play football and before I knew it I was lying on a football field unable to move anything below my shoulders."

Tyra felt Tim's hand stiffen within hers. It was still painful for all of them, but Tim had to feel it worse than the other players. He'd lost his quarterback and almost lost his best friend in the process. She remembered well the guilt that haunted his eyes for months after Jason's accident. It had almost destroyed their relationship as well.

"In those first days and weeks in the hospital, I wasn't worrying about playing football again. I was just hoping that I'd be able to feed myself, get my shoes on and off and someday get to go home again.

"Many of you know that my family entered into a lawsuit against this school and it was the worst thing that ever happened to me—worse even than the accident itself. But, while my parents were prepared for me to graduate from high school and go to college, no one had ever prepared them for having a disabled child who would need wheelchairs, a van with a lift and a remodeled house. They weren't worrying about how to send me to college—they were just worrying about where I would sleep at night since my bedroom was up twenty steps I couldn't walk up any longer."

Jason looked at the plaque resting on the table beside him. He reached out and rested his hand on the metallic surface. Tyra smiled softly and gripped Tim's hand a little harder.

"They were dark days for all of us. But my mom and dad believed in me and found a way to not only fix things for me at home, but also to trust that I could take care of myself well enough to go off to Austin to go to college when it was time.

"And I was the lucky one. I was able to get financial aid and take out loans so that I could pay for my education at UT. But not everyone is that lucky."

Jason paused and looked out at the people in the room. His eyes were focused right on their table. Tyra turned and glanced at Tim sitting beside her. Jason was looking right at Tim.

On stage, Jason took a deep breath. "My best friend in the whole world wasn't that lucky. He had a chance to go to school, to make something of himself, but once he couldn't play ball anymore, that dream was over for him."

Tim's jaw twitched. Tyra could see the shock of Jason's words washing over him. She leaned over with her other hand and rested it on his knee. His eyes didn't leave Jason's for a second.

"Tim, I started this foundation so that other kids wouldn't miss that chance like you did. I never told you that, but there are a lot of people out there with university degrees all because of the effect your life had on mine. I wanted you to know that."

Jason cleared his throat and Tyra saw Tim's eyes blink rapidly. Tim's head dropped until he was staring at the table.

Jason continued, "I thank you all for the honor and for your support of the foundation both tonight and your on-going annual efforts here in Dillon."

Jason paused, then lifted the plaque up from the table, clutched in his hands. "Texas forever."

Tim looked back up, his eyes glassy. He mouthed the phrase silently as Jason repeated it.

"Texas forever."

Everyone at the table clapped loudly as Jason made his way from the stage. Tyra smiled as Tim tried to compose himself.

"Well," Tami said, wiping at her eyes. She looked over and Tim. "That is just a remarkable young man. You are very lucky to call him a friend."

Tim nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

"Oh please!" she said. "You're too old for that now."

Her laugh brought a small smile to Tim's face. Tyra beamed as she watched him. He deserved to feel good about affecting Jason's life that way. Tyra had followed Jason's success with his foundation over the years, but never realized that it was based on his friendship with Tim.

Tim eased his hand from hers. "I'm going to go find Jay."

She smiled and leaned back in her chair as Tim stood and made his way through the crowd. A glass of wine rested by her plate and she reached out to lift it to her mouth.

"You two seem awful friendly," Julie said.

Tyra smiled around the glass and took a slow sip. She nodded and blushed as she fingered the stem of her glass. "Yeah, I guess..." She laughed and bowed her head. "Yeah," she said, smiling.

Julie nodded and shook her head, smiling all the while.

Beside her, Landry stood suddenly. "I need a drink," he announced.

"Bar's closed," Matt said. "Just table service during dinner."

Landry pushed his chair into the table and stepped back. "Then I'll get some air."

Tyra turned her head to follow his retreating back. What was up with him all of a sudden? Surely he couldn't be upset about her and Tim? He had encouraged her to tell Tim this weekend. This was what he wanted.

"Excuse me," Tyra said, pushing back from the table. "I feel a sudden need for some air as well."

She followed Landry out of the ballroom, catching up with him outside the hotel. He had a cigarette in his fingers; smoke pouring out of his mouth. Landry wasn't a smoker, not to her knowledge anyway.

"So you have any other dirty little habits I should know about?" she asked as she approached.

He took a long draw and blew the smoke out in a tense breath. "No reason for you to know any of my habits now, is there?"

Tyra narrowed her eyes. Something was really wrong. "Okay, whoa. What just happened here?"

"What? You think I'm blind? I saw you all over Riggins. All over the guy you didn't think deserved a phone call or a letter last week. You think I didn't notice?"

"Landry! Tim is a part of my life. Even if I didn't talk to him for almost 10 years, he's still Jake's father, and he wants to meet him. I have to respect that."

"Did you have to sleep with him too?"

Tyra felt like she'd been slapped in the face.

"We just talked," she said tersely.

Landry rolled his eyes and looked away from her. He took another long draw on the cigarette.

Tyra reached out and snatched it from his fingers, slamming it on the ground and twisting her high-heeled sandal on it.

"What did you do that for?"

"Because you don't smoke. Not in our house. You aren't starting now."

"Don't tell me what to do, Tyra. You aren't my wife."

"Is that what this is about?" She couldn't believe it. Landry was actually jealous of Tim? Landry, who had slept with more men that she had in the past five years, was jealous of her?

"I...I don't know. I just..." Landry stared at her, anguish evident on his face. "How can you just throw away everything we have? Everything we've built. I can't lose you, Tyra. I can't lose Jake."

"Hey, hey." Tyra stepped closer to him, laying a hand on his shoulder. "No one's losing anything. Tim is meeting Jake for the first time tomorrow. He's not moving in with us. He's not doing anything! Jake may think this is the worst idea ever and then I'll have to tell Tim to back off for now. The ball is in Jake's court here. Whatever he wants."

Landry nodded, listening to her.

"And even if Jake wants a relationship with Tim, Tim's life is here in Dillon. He has Billy to think of, remember? And I mean..." Tyra looked out over the hotel parking lot, searching for the right words to explain how she felt about Tim. She didn't know how to break it to Landry, but if she was being honest, she really did want something to develop between them. How they could break the Dillon-Nashville barrier and merge their lives was a hurdle she didn't want to think about yet.

"Landry, you know I love you. And Jake loves you. And I would never take Jake away from you, out of your life. But Jake deserves to know who his father is, and if Tim wants to be his father, then I have to let that happen." She smiled gently and caressed Landry's shoulder. "Even if that means we can't snuggle on the couch and watch Survivor together anymore."

Landry laughed. "You don't think Tim would let me be your platonic husband anymore? C'mon now—he can cook and I'll clean."

Tyra smiled and leaned in to hug Landry. She wished there was a way they could all be a family together. She loved Tim—she knew that now and wanted him to be a part of Jake's life, but Landry had been such an important part of their life for so long. Was there room for both men in their lives? She hoped so, but she wasn't sure.

* * *

There was a small crowd gathered around Jason near the stage. Bradley and Pudnick were there, clapping Jay on the back like they were pals or something. Tim looked away and leaned against the wall away from the crowd. He could wait for everyone else to filter away. He wanted to speak to Jay alone.

Watching Jason shake everyone's hand and accept congratulations, he was struck by how humble Jay was. He'd overcome so much in his life, from way back in high school to just going to college and graduating. They had lost touch once Jay settled in Austin, but Tim always made sure to follow the Paralympics, and Joanne Street was sure to give him an update any time he ran into her around town.

Tim was proud of Jay. Proud of the person he'd become, and proud that he did it all without wanting or looking for gratification. This foundation—the foundation Tim had never supported or really given much thought to—was all based on him. Tim shook his head. What made a person be so selfless?

Finally Jason looked up and caught Tim's eye. Excusing himself, he pushed away from the crowd and wheeled over to where Tim stood. Tim stared down at him for a long moment, then finally held out his hand to Jay.

Jason took it and gripped as tight as he could. Tim felt his stomach flip. He bent down and slid his arm around Jason's neck. He tucked his head down by Jason's and whispered, "Thanks, Six. Thanks."

Jason rested his hand on Tim's back. "Of course," he said.

Tim stood back up and shook his head at his friend. He smiled. "All these years? You been out there using my good name to collect money?"

Jason laughed and nodded. "Yeah, I guess so. Only not your name. Just your story."

Tim nodded and looked away for a quick moment. He was choking on his emotions. How did you truly thank someone for something like this?

"Hey," Jason said, reaching out with his hand to knock against Tim's arm. "How'd things go with Tyra? I saw you sitting together."

Glad for the change of topic, Tim shrugged and looked back at Jay. "Good, I think. I'm going to meet Jake tomorrow."

Jason looked surprised, but he smiled. "Good, I think that's good. He's a lucky kid to have a Dad like you."

"Yeah, well, we'll see about that." Tim still didn't know how he was going to be an actual father to Jake. But he was willing to give tomorrow a try, and then just take things from there.

"What are you doing after this?" Jason asked.

"Nothing. I should talk to Tyra, I guess."

"Oh yeah! She's got you wrapped around her little finger again already?"

"Don't even start it, Street," Tim said, laughing at Jason's good-natured ribbing.

"I was thinking we could get together somewhere. We're staying at the Holiday Inn, but we could go out and get some dessert or something."

It was Tim's turn to tease Jay now. "Oh yeah! Lyla got you wrapped too?"

Jason burst out laughing and blushed. "Riggs, man, I'm telling you. I don't know why I didn't see it sooner."

"What's that?"

Jason looked past Tim to where they had been sitting. Tim turned to follow his gaze, watching Lyla talking animatedly with Mr. and Mrs. Street.

"I waited so long. We could have been together this whole time."

Tim looked back. Jay's face was full of pride.

Jason looked up at Tim, smiling as he said, "I might need a best man, Timmy. I'm going to ask Lyla to marry me."

_/tbc/_


	11. Chapter 10

Reunion

**Reunion  
Chapter 10**

Lyla slowly opened her eyes. She reached up and ran her fingers down Jason's arm. Her body was curved up against his, his arm tucking her in tight.

"Mmmm," Jason said as he leaned forward and kissed her lightly on her neck. "This is nice. I'd be happy to wake up every day like this. What do you think, Garrity? You going to take that transfer?"

_Lyla stared at the phone. She had to just call him and tell him about the job. It was a good job, and could lead to a career after she graduated. A career in New York. She knew he'd be happy for her, but there would be that sound in his voice—that 'when are you coming back, Lyla?' sound._

_She loved Jason. She had always loved him and she always would, but he was part of that old life, that old Lyla—the girl whose life was validated by cheerleading and football and always doing what her daddy wanted her to do._

_That Lyla had been dead for a long time and this was just the final nail in her coffin._

_She opened up her computer and began composing an e-mail. She'd tell him that it was too good of an opportunity to pass up and that she'd be home at the end of the summer._

_She looked down at the engagement ring on her finger. When he'd given it to her, she'd thought her life was set. That she'd be with him forever. Now, it was just a piece of jewelry that she wore. She and Jason didn't talk about getting married any more, but she also had not taken the ring off._

_She loved him. She would always love him._

_She pulled the ring off and set it on the desk. That Lyla was dead._

"So, I'm thinking maybe we could try finding a house—something between Austin and Dallas. Where's your office? Is there some place that would make sense so that we could both commute?" Jason asked.

Lyla lay there listening to Jason talk about their future. A house. This wasn't like moving to Austin to go to college and sharing an apartment so she could help him out. This was living together for real.

"And Lyla—if a family is important to you, we can try to have a baby. I still have some settlement money that my parents set aside. We could use that to try in vitro or we could look into adoption. I want what you want," Jason said as he kissed her again, this time on her shoulder.

Lyla rolled over so she was facing Jason. She smiled at him. "Yes. I'm going to take the transfer and I do want to make this a permanent situation, but we need a plan this time, Jason. Before we start talking about houses or babies, we need a plan."

"A plan?"

"I want to be with you, but I need us to have a plan. I don't think we should just live together again without knowing where we're going this time."

She wasn't the same foolish girl she'd been so many years ago. She knew what she wanted out of life now. And it wasn't a roommate, or a 'friend with benefits'. She wanted a relationship with Jason, a life with him. And she wasn't going to settle for anything less.

* * *

"Good morning, babe," Julie said as walked into the kitchen.

Matt turned from where he was making scrambled eggs at the stove. Her hair was messy and she was wearing an old SMU T-shirt and shorts. God, she looked so sexy.

Reaching for the coffee pot, Matt filled the mug in Julie's outstretched hand. He knew she was useless without two cups first thing every morning.

He piled two plates with eggs and toast and placed them on the table. Then he refilled his own coffee mug and sat beside her. This felt nice. Normal. But there was a gnawing feeling in the back of his head that things weren't perfect. They hadn't really talked about anything after she told him she'd had surgery. He was just tired of fighting with her and wanted to have a good time last night. And it had felt right to be in love again, enjoying each other and not worrying about their future.

"So, about your surgery..." Matt said.

Julie paused with her coffee mug raised to her lips. She took a small sip, and then slowly placed it back on the table and fingered the handle.

"I just want to know what happens next. What do we do?"

She looked up at him; her eyes sad. She shrugged. "Not much. There are some tests, some...procedures. But my doctor wasn't very hopeful."

Matt nodded and pushed his eggs around his plate. What was she really saying? Did she want to try for a child or not?

"Julie..."

"Matt..."

They spoke over each other and then both laughed gently. He gestured for her to go first but she shook her head.

He tried again. "I don't want to fight. But I want to know what you want. I thought I knew, but..."

"I'm sorry, Matt." She looked like she might cry again. "I don't know what to say. Do I want to have kids? Yes, absolutely. But can we?" She shrugged and picked up a piece of toast. Staring at it for a moment, she dropped it back on her plate. "I mean, how badly do you want this?"

Matt knew the answer to that one. No question. "I want it as badly as you do. And if you don't want to, or can't, then I just want you."

Julie's face crumpled. "Really?" she whispered.

"Julie." Matt moved his chair closer to her, reaching out for her hand. "I think we should try everything. If that's what you want. I think you'd make a really great mother and it was always in our plans to have kids. But after that, after we try everything, if it doesn't work I just want us to be happy. I just want to be happy with you."

A single tear rolled down Julie's cheek.

Matt reached out and brushed it away. "You'll call your doctor?" he asked. "Let me know what we have to do?"

She nodded and leaned in to his chest. "I will. I will."

"Good." Matt rubbed her back and pulled her tight to him. He just wanted her to be happy. Everything else would fall in place.

* * *

Tim pulled a small bag out of his truck and started up the hill towards the playground. He was supposed to meet Tyra and Jake in half an hour but he wanted to be early. Home field advantage.

As he topped the hill, he looked over and saw Tyra already sitting on a bench. Of course. She'd always been good at anticipating his moves. Dark glasses hid her eyes from the early morning sun. Tim pushed his own sunglasses up on his face. A child, a boy, scrambled up the ladder and hurtled himself down the slide a little further away.

Tim stopped and waited for a moment. So this was Jake.

As he stood there watching, Jake took another run down the slide, missed the landing and fell on his hands and knees in the dirt. Jake didn't move, just stayed there, staring at the ground. Tim took a quick step forward. Was he hurt?

Then Jake bounded up, brushed his hands on his jeans and ran back for another round.

Tim smiled. That was his kid.

Walking over to Tyra, he eased down on the bench beside her.

She looked over and smiled weakly at him. "God, I hope that's coffee," she said.

Tim grinned and opened the bag he had placed between them on the bench. He pulled out a thermos and poured her a cup of the steaming liquid.

"I wasn't sure if you still took it the same," he said.

She reached for the cup and greedily took a sip. "Perfect," she said, smiling. "Black with lots of sugar."

Tim pulled a bottle of water out of the bag and opened it. His leg was aching today. He reached down to rub his kneecap then flexed his leg a few times. His right leg bounced on the ground, an outlet for his nervousness.

At the playground, Jake was flinging himself across the monkey bars. Man, that kid had unstoppable energy. Tim felt his stomach lurch at the thoughts of having to meet him in just a few moments. He couldn't do this. What did he know about being a Dad? Always have cold beer on hand. Knock your wife around if dinner was five minutes late to the table. And slap your kids if they talked back, or, you know, were just generally annoying.

Tim fiddled with the cap of his water bottle and looked down at the ground. He had zero experience in this department and only five seconds to practice. He was going to fail.

"Hey, you okay?" Tyra's voice interrupted his reverie.

He tried to smile at her. "No."

"It's going to be okay, I promise."

"How, Tyra? How is it going to be okay to just throw me into Jake's life when I don't have a clue what I'm doing?" No one had given him directions for this. How was he supposed to navigate?

"Tim, breathe." Tyra smiled and rested her hand on his leg.

Could she just be as nervous as him for five seconds? He felt like he had no control and she was acting like this happened every day.

"I just...I just don't know how to be a father. I don't know how."

"You're worried because of Walt, right?"

Tim nodded. Walt had really pulled a number on him and Billy. Make no wonder he was worried.

"I know your father was a first-class shit, and maybe you're worried about turning out just like him someday, but think about Billy for a second."

What did Billy have to do with anything? "Billy had the same father I did."

"Exactly, and he made a great parent, right? To you?"

Tim was quiet. He'd never called Billy 'Dad', but Billy had played the part. And he was certainly a better father than Walt had ever been to either of them.

_Dad? It's Tim._

_"Who?"_

_"Tim." Tim closed his eyes. Your son?_

_"Oh, hey! How you been, boy?"_

_"I've been..." Better? I spent the last few months in a hospital bed. I'm great. What was he supposed to say?_

_"Listen, Dad. There was an accident, and I just..."_

_"Oh yeah, right. I heard about that. How you doin'? How's Billy?"_

_"Billy's fine." If you could call the mentality of a four-year-old fine. "You knew about it?"_

_"Oh, your coach called me when it happened. I'm real sorry I couldn't get up. Help out, you know. But it was peak season down here."_

_Tim let his head drop heavily against her chest. He'd known. Walt had known for months and he'd done nothing to help out. Not even called or visited._

_And really, had Tim expected anything else?_

_"Is there something else I can help you with son? I've got a threesome that could really use a fourth."_

_Tim shook his head. He should just hang up and forget he'd ever made the call. Walt didn't care about him or Billy, so what was the point anyway?_

_Except that Billy really needed this, and it was up to Tim to get it for him._

_"Actually, yeah, there is something. I've got a lawyer who's going to bring by some papers for you to sign. It gives me ownership of the house."_

_Walt was quiet._

_Tim clenched his jaw. "Billy paid more of the mortgage that you did and I'm being appointed as his guardian. I—I need to protect his assets and I think it's time to sign it over to us."_

_"Well." Walk hmm'd into the receiver._

_"I'm not asking you, Dad."_

_Tim held his breath. He knew he didn't have a leg to stand on if his father said 'No'. The house was in Walt's name and Walt's name only. But Tim couldn't run the risk that his dad would do something to jeopardize the house. No matter what else happened, they needed a roof over their heads. He needed Walt to say 'Yes'._

_"How old are you, son?"_

_Jesus. His own father actually had to ask him that._

_"Eighteen."_

_"Well."_

_Tim was tired and still had to go back to the hospital for physical therapy and then stop by to visit Billy. He didn't have time to waste on his deadbeat father._

_"You still at the same golf course?"_

_"Yeah, yeah I am."_

_"My lawyer's name is Cooke. I'll tell him where to find you."_

_Tim hung up and stared at the phone for a long time. He didn't ask for this. Didn't ask to be abandoned by his parents and taken in by Billy. And he certainly hadn't asked for the roles to be reversed so that now he was doing the taking care of. But it had happened, and suddenly, and without warning, Tim was the parent in the Riggins household._

"Okay, so I had Billy, but that ended a long time ago," Tim said.

"I know it did." Tyra squeezed his leg with her hand. "But you had that experience. And what about Coach Taylor too?"

Tim looked at her, confused.

"He was a father-figure in your life, and a good role model. You've got examples of how to do it right; you've just got to look for them."

Tyra was right. Walt didn't really have any influence over how Tim acted or the man he'd turned out to be. Half the time it felt like taking care of Billy was a parenting job and somehow he'd managed to do that for almost 10 years.

"Okay." Tim nodded and returned Tyra's smile. "Maybe I can do this."

"No, you can definitely do this. I believe in you Tim."

Tim pulled his eyes away from Tyra and looked over at Jake.

Tyra called out loudly. "Jake, honey, come over here."

Tim closed his eyes. This was it.

* * *

"Mornin' Coach," Mitchell Street said as he crossed over to the Taylors and shook Eric's hand outside the church. "Good to see you, Tami."

"I was so proud of Jason last night," Tami said, smiling at Mitch as the congregation milled around, greeting one another.

"Wasn't he great?" Mitch replied. "I just—well, Jason never ceases to amaze me."

"He's a good kid," Eric replied. "A very good kid."

"C'mon, Eric. He's a man," Tami responded. "And it looks like he's relit an old flame." Tami nodded her head toward Jason and Lyla who stood further down the sidewalk talking to Jason's mother and several of her friends.

_"Hey, Mitch."_

_Mitch looked up to see Coach Taylor standing in front of his pharmacy counter.  
"I hear Jason's going to UT."_

_He nodded. The lawsuit had been settled, but he still hadn't been able to completely give up his pain over what had happened on the field the previous September._

_"I know it's not what you planned, but I'm real proud of him," the coach said._

_"Thank you, Eric." It was hard to make small talk with this man. "Did you need anything?"_

_"Yeah, Tami asked me to pick up a prescription for her," Eric explained._

_Mitch turned away from the counter to look for the bag with the prescription. He located it and set it on the counter. "There you go." There, Eric had gotten what he'd come in for, no reason for them to talk any longer._

_"I just...I just want to thank you," the coach said._

_Mitch sighed and looked up at him. "Thank me?"_

_"For the privilege of working with Jason. He really was...he really is one of a kind, Mitch."_

_That's what he wanted to say? To thank him? Mitch was shocked. He nodded, unable to speak._

_"You're lucky to have a kid like that," Eric added. "Remember that."_

_Mitch watched as Coach Taylor walked toward the door. Then he noticed a small black pouch sitting on the counter. He loosened the cord and tipped the pouch over. A ring fell out into his palm._

_Dillon High School State Champions Class 4A—2006._

_It was a State Championship ring. Just like the one he wore on his own hand. He picked up the ring and looked at it. It was inscribed 'Jason Street—6'._

"So, Joanne and I are going to have a few people over for brunch. I'm sorry it's such short notice, but we hope you can join us," Mitchell said. "Please, invite Julie and Matt. We just wanted a chance to see people one last time before you all leave town."

"We'd love to," Tami replied. "Can we do something to help?"

_"Eric Taylor came in today," Mitch said as he came in the kitchen where Joanne was working on supper._

_"Really," Joanne said as she set down the knife she'd been using to chop up the salad. "You talk to him."_

_"Uh huh," Mitch replied. "He...he, uh, thanked me."_

_"Thanked you?"_

_"Yeah for letting him work with Jason and then told me how lucky I was to have a kid like him."_

_Joanne nodded. "He's right, you know."_

_"Yeah." And Mitch did know. There wasn't anything he wanted more for his son than the things he'd had in life—a family, a job that made him happy—and to be fair, Mitch had wanted a State Championship ring for him like he'd had. It was a stupid thing, but he could never forget what it felt like that day they had beaten West Cambria in the state finals._

_"He brought a ring in for Jason—inscribed and everything." Mitch laid the small black bag down on the counter._

_Joanne reached over and slid the ring out of the pouch. "He's a good man, you know."_

_"Yeah," Mitch replied. Wrapping up the lawsuit and getting Jason back to school had helped to lessen the bitterness, the anger and the empty feeling he'd had inside._

_Coach Taylor was an admirable man, and Jason, and Mitch and Joanne too, were lucky to know him._

"I think we have it under control," Mitch replied, smiling as his wife walked up to join them. "Joanne ordered some things from the grocery store."

Tami smiled and stepped closer to Joanne. "Did your husband give you as much notice about this as mine normally does?"

He saw Joanne smile and lean in to whisper in Tami's ear. Mitch shrugged his shoulders and smiled at Eric. It had been hard to not blame the coach for everything that had happened, but over the years it was much easier to remember all the things the coach had done that had made Jason into the man he was rather than the accident that had changed his life.

* * *

Jason wheeled over to the edge of the parking lot where Lyla's mom was talking to one of the Sunday School teachers.

"Hey, Jason," she said as he approached them.

"I should get going—we're headed to McMurphy's for brunch," the teacher said.

"See you next week," Pam trilled. "So, Jason—it's so good to see you again."

"You too, Mrs. Garrity," he replied. "Uh—can we go somewhere and talk for a little bit before my parents' brunch?"

He looked up at her and she smiled. "Absolutely, Jason. Let's go to my house. I have something I'd like to give you."

* * *

Smash shook the reporter's hand and opened the door to the meeting room. It was done. His 'come-out', 'tell-all' interview was complete. He'd dropped a bombshell on the sports world. Now he just had to wait for the debris to fall around him.

He walked out into the lobby of the Holiday Inn. He'd chosen this hotel purposefully, hoping that maybe that reporter from the _Times_ would hear about the interview and run scrambling back to her paper. It didn't matter now anyway. His story would hit the airwaves on the late-news tonight. And he was catching a red-eye back to New York tonight so he could do the morning news show circuit tomorrow.

It was so sudden, he felt a little queasy.

"Well, if it ain't the famous Brian Williams. You've really gone and done it this time, haven't you?"

A booming voice interrupted his thoughts as he made his way across the lobby. He turned to see Buddy Garrity approaching, one arm held out at the ready to wrap around Smash's shoulders. He shrunk away from the larger man's grasp, but it was useless. Buddy gripped Smash's shoulder tightly and pulled the footballer against his chest.

God, that was some grip.

"So, you got some big-time network to come all the way down to Dillon?"

Sunglasses shaded Buddy's eyes, even though they were indoors. Smash put his hands in his pockets and looked across the lobby for someone, anyone, to save him from this conversation. The last person he wanted to explain himself to was Buddy Garrity.

"That's a big feat, you know. We haven't had much coverage down here since we stopped winning State."

Smash narrowed his eyes at Buddy. So now that was his fault? He'd graduated high school. Not exactly something he had much control over.

"Listen, Mr. Garrity, sir..."

"Oh don't you even, now," Buddy said, clapping Smash on the shoulder. Hard.

Ouch. Clearly Buddy hadn't lost any of his strength from his linebacker days at UT.

"Dillon could use a few mentions in the national media, even if it is about dirty laundry, if you know what I mean."

Smash sighed and chewed on his lip. He didn't have to stand here and take this.

"Mr. Garrity...Buddy..." Smash corrected himself when Buddy's eyebrows rose again. "I don't really think my interview is any business of yours, or the booster club, or whoever it is that you're representing now."

Buddy twisted his mouth into a grimace. He nodded his head and plunked his hands hard on his hips.

"You know, Smash, you don't mind if I call you Smash, do you?"

Smash nodded his head quickly. He just wanted out of this place. And away from this judgmental man.

"I've been in your shoes, bet you didn't know that."

Now, Smash's mouth just plain dropped open. Buddy was playing for the other team?

Buddy caught his mistake right away and laughed in a loud guffaw. "Not exactly like you, you know, I got me a pretty little wife now. I ain't looking for a little fudge-packer, if you get my drift."

He stepped closer to Smash and lowered his head to speak softly. "I was almost run right out of this town when my marriage ended. Not that Pam had all that much influence over me, but people didn't want to think about who was lying in my bed every night. If the common folk can buy a car from the guy down the road with no troubles at all, then they ain't going to choose the guy who cheats on his wife and is in the middle of a messy divorce. No matter how many red flag deals you offer."

Buddy looked pissed that his adulterous-personality couldn't move cars off his lot.

"But you know what you have to do to get past it?" Buddy continued.

Smash shook his head. He had no clue what advice Buddy Garrity was going to give him. And wasn't sure if he wanted to hear it anyway.

"You have to say screw 'em."

Buddy stared at Smash like he'd just passed down the Ten Commandments. Smash hesitated for a second, then smiled tentatively. That was it?

"You get me?" Buddy asked

"I...yeah, sure," Smash responded.

"You gotta look 'em in the eye and say 'Yes, I said it, now what you gonna do about it.' You get me now?"

Smash smiled. "Yeah, I get you."

"And when you get run out of town, you just come on back down here to Dillon and we'll make you a hometown hero anyway."

Smash gaped at Buddy's statement but the older man was totally oblivious. He really meant it. Smash shook his head and said a quick goodbye. He needed to find a friendly face, a real friend who didn't think he was totally crazy for doing this. And get a stiff drink, or several. He whipped his cell phone out and dialed Landry's number.

* * *

Jake squirmed away from his mother's hand resting on his head. She was always smoothing his hair down. He hated it.

He looked up at the guy standing next to her by the bench. So this was his father. He was tall.

The guy, Tim, took his sunglasses off and knelt down closer to the ground. Tim held out his hand.

"Nice to meet you."

Jake had manners, and he knew what his mother would say if he didn't use them. He shook Tim's hand. "Nice to meet you too, sir."

Tim smiled at him. He looked really nervous. Jake tipped his head and stared at the man's face. He sort of, maybe, looked a little bit like Jake did. He was a good football player, his Mom told him that, and he had a brother. That was all he knew about him. That wasn't much.

"Here, I brought you something."

Tim handed him a plastic bag with a wrapped package inside. Jake grabbed it from the bag and ripped the paper open. It was the new NFL All Stars game for the Sony system. It was supposed to be awesome. All his friends back in Nashville were talking about getting it. He squinted and stared at Tim.

"Jake," his mother said, touching his hair again. "Say thank you."

"But I can't play it."

"Why not?" his mom asked.

"Because I don't have the new system. I only have that old crappy one..."

"That's enough." Now his mom was mad. And he probably wouldn't get to play his old games either.

Jake kicked his sneaker in the dirt and looked at Tim. His father was just staring at him. His eyes were little slits. Really creepy.

Jake held out the game to Tim. "Thank you sir, but I can't play this."

His mom sighed as if he couldn't hear her.

Tim smiled and reached out to take the game. He tossed it in his hand, fingering the edge.

"What system does it need?" Tim asked.

"That brand new one that's really, really expensive and you have to line up for three days just to get a ticket to maybe buy one." Jake looked up at his mom who was frowning at him. "My mom says it's too much but maybe for my birthday." He twisted his foot in the dirt again. "Which is in, like, forever."

Tim was trying not to smile. He was going to laugh. Jake knew it.

Then Tim stood up slowly, pushing on his legs with his hands. "You know, my brother really loves this game."

Jake squinted up at his father standing over him.

"I think he'd really like to play it with you."

Jake looked from his Dad to his Mom and back again. "Does he have the new box?"

Tim nodded. "He does."

So cool! "Can I come over and play it now?" Tim smiled and looked at Jake's mother. Jake looked up at his mom too. "Can I Mom? Please!"

His mother shook her head but smiled. Yes! That always meant she was going to say 'Yes'.

"Tim, are you sure?" his mother asked.

Jake looked back at Tim. He was smiling and nodding. "I think it'd be great."

Excellent. They could go play the game with Tim's brother. Jake bet he could win. He was really good at football games.

He started to run to his Mom's car and then stopped and turned back to his parents.

"Mom, can I...maybe..."

His Mom smiled and put her hand on Tim's arm. "Would you like to ride with your Dad?"

His Dad looked at his Mom, then back at him.

Jake held his breath. He really, really wanted to ride in a truck. And he bet his Dad would drive way faster than his Mom did.

"It's cool with me," Tim said.

Jake grinned and raced down the hill towards the parking lot. This was going to be great.

* * *

Jason pulled up in the driveway behind Lyla's mom. As he pulled his chair from the seat next to him, he looked up at the door and smiled. There was a simple board ramp coming down from the door covering the step up from the sidewalk. He transferred into his chair and pushed himself toward the door.

"Lyla commented that it was hard for you to get in the house, so Buddy Jr. threw this together. We'll get something a little nicer, though," Pam explained as she opened the door.

"No, it's great," Jason responded as he looked down at the ramp. It was a simple gesture, but it also said so much. In high school, after the accident, he had never really felt welcomed at the Garrity house. A simple piece of wood said that had changed. "Thanks."

"There's coffee in the kitchen," Pam said as she walked down the hall. "I'm going to run upstairs for a minute."

Jason headed down the hallway and into the kitchen. He pulled a chair from the table so that he could pull up closer to the table.

"So, it's good to see you, Jason," Pam said as she walked into the room.

She had said that about ten times now. Either she was really happy to see him, or completely incapable of talking to him about anything else.

"It's been a good weekend," Jason replied. He paused while Pam fixed two mugs of coffee and set them down on the table. Jason reached for the mug, then pulled his hand away from the hot ceramic.

"Oh, can you?" Pam began to ask.

"Do you have a travel mug?" Jason asked. "It's just a little easier for me."

Pam nodded and got up. She poured his coffee into a travel mug and brought it back to him.

"Thanks," Jason said as he lifted the mug carefully between his hands and took a sip of the hot beverage. He set the mug down and looked over at Lyla's mother.

"I hope this is okay—I know it's really something I should talk to Buddy about, but knowing how Lyla feels about him these days, I wanted to talk to you," he began.

Pam started to smile and nodded.

"When we were in high school, everything just seemed so intense, so important," Jason said. "I know I did everything wrong when I asked Lyla to marry me. We were scared that things had changed too much, that we had changed too much and we did that out of fear.

"But, I feel differently now. I feel like myself again—this new self and I think that Lyla would tell you she's a different person, too, but one thing hasn't changed and that's the fact that I love her and she loves me."

Jason looked over and saw that tears had begun to leak from the corners of Pam's eyes.

"I love your daughter and I want to spend my life with her. I think she'd kill me if I asked you for her hand, but I do hope I have your blessing."

Pam nodded and reached into her pocket. She pulled out a box, opened it and slid it over to Jason. "I was hoping I'd have a chance to talk to you. I want you to have this—for Lyla."

Jason looked down at the small diamond set in a simple setting.

"Oh, I don't know..." he began.

"Oh, no—it's not from Buddy," Pam replied as she began to laugh. "No, I sold that ring years ago. No, this was my grandmother's ring. Buddy thought the diamond wasn't big enough, so I've just kept it all these years for the right time.

"Jason—you are the right time. I know that you love my daughter and I know she loves you. You've had a lot of things happen in your short lives and I believe that you are stronger together than you are apart. You absolutely have my blessing."

Pam pushed back her chair and came over to hug Jason. "Welcome to the family, Jason."

_/tbc/_


	12. Chapter 11

Reunion

**Reunion  
Chapter 11**

Tyra dried one plate and reached for another as she glanced over at the three boys in the living room. Jake, Tim and Billy were all crowded around the TV, playing that new game Tim had bought for Jake. It was charming. Like three little boys on Christmas morning.

She smiled and put a box of cereal away in the cupboard and reached for a sponge to wipe down the counter. Things weren't messy like they were when Tim was in high school, but there were signs that Tim tried to let Billy do some simple things in the kitchen. She had been surprised to see the state of the Riggins house with the floor cluttered, the walls stained in places, but then, Tim had tried to prepare her for what life with Billy was like. A child in a man's body—she could see it clearly now as she watched him interact with Jake.

"I got you, did you see that?" Billy yelled. "I hit you so hard, your head bent backwards!"

Jake pouted, but Tyra could see that he was having fun. And he'd try hard to beat Billy on the next play. Tim on the other hand looked a little embarrassed. She caught his eye and smiled. It was like any play date she had taken Jake on over the years, only Billy had almost 30 years on Jake.

"Hey," Tim said as he walked towards her. "You don't have to do this, you know. I get a girl to come in and clean up."

Tyra shook her head and waved him off. "I just want you to have fun today. I know it means a lot to you."

Tim nodded and looked back at Jake and Billy. Jake had just plowed through Billy's offensive line and was doing a victory dance in the middle of the room.

"I'd say they're hitting it off," Tim remarked.

Tyra laughed but she was sad too. How did Tim, the guy who couldn't bother to make himself much more than Pop Tarts for dinner, take such good care of Billy? He'd changed. It was obvious to her. But still, it made her heart ache for what he'd gone through.

She stepped around the counter and stood next to him, watching the game continue. "I wish we could stay longer. Jake's having a lot of fun."

"When do you have to leave?"

"We're driving back with Landry in the morning."

Tim nodded and leaned back against the island. "I guess he has school."

"Yeah," Tyra said. Jake had school and she had work commitments. She glanced over at Tim. He was watching Jake so seriously. Her heart wanted to burst for him. He'd only just met his son an hour ago and now she was ripping Jake out of Tim's life again.

"I have some vacation time though," she said. "And Jake's really bright in school. He could make up the time, if we stayed a couple of days…"

She let her voice trail off, watching Tim closely.

"Well, we aren't working on a lot of sites right now. I could maybe take a couple of days."

"We could take Jake to Six Flags."

"And Billy would love to show him some more games," Tim added.

"And maybe we could get a sitter one night?" Tyra held her breath.

Tim was quiet, then a lazy grin broke across his face. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. She laughed and ducked her head away from his gaze. That look had always made her knees weak. He had the same effect on her now as he did back in high school.

Leaning her shoulder against his, she said quietly, "You wanna tell them, or should I?"

"Let me," Tim said. He pushed away from the counter but then stopped and turned around to look at her.

"Thank you," he said. His eyes bored into hers.

Tyra swallowed thickly and nodded, unable to speak.

Tim nodded in return, every emotion conveyed in that simple phrase.

She watched as Tim asked Jake if he wanted to stay for a couple of days. Watching her son jump up into a hug in his father's arms almost made her heart stop. How had she kept them apart for this long?

Her cell phone ringing interrupted her thoughts. She answered it just as Tim's home phone rang and he stood up.

"Tyra, it's Julie. We're all going to Jason's parents' house for brunch. Can you and Jake make it? And call Landry."

Glancing over at Tim, she mouthed _Brunch?_ He nodded and gestured to the phone. _Jason_ he mouthed in return.

Agreeing quickly that they'd be there, Tyra hung up and turned to Jake and Billy. The four of them were going to brunch, in public, with every person they knew from high school. This was a lot of family time, really, really quickly, but Tyra was hopeful that it would be fun. She had to learn how to incorporate their families—hers and Tim's. And this was a good place to start.

She took out her cell phone and called Landry.

* * *

"Lyla?"

Jason sat and watched as Lyla set down the tray of fruit and headed back to the house without pausing. He had been trying to catch her attention, but she was intent on helping his mother and making sure this brunch was perfect.

"Woman on a mission," Coach said as he pulled a lawn chair up next to Jason and sat down.

"Yeah," Jason said, fingering the box he'd tucked next to his leg. There was no way he was going to get a minute of privacy with her with this house full of people.

"Now there's a vision," Coach said as Matt and Julie walked around the edge of the house and out into the backyard.

"Hey, Daddy," Julie said as she came over and hugged her father.

"Sir," Matt said, politely, hanging back a few steps.

Coach stood up and took the grocery bag from Julie's arms. "We should get this food ready."

Julie followed her dad into the house as Matt dropped down into the chair the coach had vacated.

"Long weekend, Saracen?" Jason asked. Man, this guy always looked like he wore the weight of the world on his shoulders—had since they were in high school.

"It's just been…" Matt began.

"It's been a hell of a weekend," Jason finished.

"Yeah," Matt replied as he slid down further in the chair.

"I'd offer you a beer, but my mom is really not keen on drinking on Sunday."

"Nah, Street, that's okay…"

"You want to tell me what's going on, Matty?" Jason asked. "I'm all ears and by some reports, a halfway decent listener."

"Uh, it's just some stuff that Julie and I are going through," Matt explained.

"Is this still about kids?" Jason asked his voice filled with concern. "Did you talk to her? Cause I finally took some of my own advice and actually talked to Lyla and frankly, it actually works." Jason chuckled lightly.

"Uh, yeah I talked her—and it wasn't that she thought I was forcing her to have kids, but there's something wrong with her and we might not—we might not be able to have kids."

"Oh," Jason answered. He reached out and touched Matt's arm. "I'm really sorry about that, man. You know it's been an issue with me and Lyla."

"Yeah," Matt answered, sitting up straighter again. "But that's not really the problem. It's that she didn't tell me about it. She had surgery to try and fix this, and she didn't even tell me."

"Oh," Jason replied. "Well, that's a different issue, then, isn't it?"

* * *

Smash looked up as Landry entered the café. It wasn't alcohol, but espresso was the strongest drink he could find in Dillon at noon on a Sunday.

He smiled as Landry took a seat next to him. "Hey man, thanks for meeting me."

"So not a problem," Landry said.

"You alright?" Smash asked.

"Yes, no…I don't know." Landry rubbed his forehead with his hand. "I'm supposed to go to this brunch thing at Jason Street's place and I just…I'm ready for this weekend to end, you know?"

Smash nodded. Did he ever.

"You good friends with Street or something?" Smash was overdue at his mother's house but still, it was always nice to get an invite.

"Nah, I think it was an impromptu thing. Tyra invited me because you know she's going over there."

Smash narrowed his eyes. How was he supposed to know that?

Landry sighed. "Her and Tim Riggins are back 'on' again and Riggins and Street are best friends again. So we're all supposed to have a big happy brunch together."

Smash stared at Landry for a moment then burst out laughing. "Dude, you are one sad excuse for a gay man, you know that?"

Landry just looked at him blankly.

Smash leaned forward. "You are so hung up on Tyra, you can't even be happy that she's trying to make something work for herself. And Riggins and Street! Everyone knows it would just take one push in the right direction to bring those two together."

Smash grinned, but he was joking. Tim and Jason had a friendship that he envied. Even after all these years. He wished it had been that easy for him back in high school.

Landry was shaking his head and fiddling with his thumbs.

"Seriously. What is the deal with you and Tyra?" Smash asked.

"Smash, if I knew that, I would be a rich man." Landry looked around and gestured for a waitress to bring him a menu. "We've just got a good thing going on in Nashville. And I really don't want it to end."

"But Tim Riggins…" Smash elbowed Landry in the side. "Not a bad choice for a roommate."

Hell. He wasn't Smash's type, but he was man enough to admit when a boy was pretty. And Tim Riggins was pretty.

"Oh my God, stop. Please," Landry said. "He is so not my type."

"And what is your type. Unavailable woman with child?"

Landry shot him a dirty look but Smash pressed on. He could empathize with Landry, but the boy was being selfish. Tyra Collette deserved a bit of happiness in her life, and if she found that with Tim Riggins, although Smash had no clue why Tyra had chosen Tim so long ago in high school, then who was Landry to stand in her way?

"I don't want Tyra," Landry said firmly.

"Well you could have fooled me."

Landry pushed his chair back sharply and stood up. "Thanks for…this." Landry gestured at the table. "Have a fabulous gay life."

He turned to walk away when Smash reached out to grab his wrist. Landry tugged, not remotely hard enough, and Smash held firm.

"Sit back down."

When Landry didn't, Smash repeated the demand, gently. "Sit down, Landry. Don't be a fool."

The waitress appeared by Landry's side with a menu in hand. Smash gestured at his empty espresso cup and said, "Two."

Landry fell back into his seat and kicked the table lightly. "I hate espresso."

"Yeah, well I hate mimosas, but apparently they're all the rage at gay brunches. We all have our crosses."

Landry tried to hide it, but Smash could see the hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth.

"You love Tyra. You're not in love with her, I get it. I was with my girl for five years. Seriously, I get it."

"I'm just going to miss her so much. And Jake."

"That her kid?"

Landry nodded.

"That sucks, but you can't push too hard. You're going to lose her for sure if you make her choose."

"You really think so?" Landry asked.

"Please. Between you and Tim Riggins?" Smash grinned wickedly. "No contest."

"Thanks, Williams," Landry sighed.

Smash grew serious. "Sorry, man. Gallows humor. Give it all a chance. I know it's not what you planned or hoped for, but you had to know there was the possibility of Tyra telling Tim about his kid. And maybe it's time for you to think about getting your own life."

"Yeah," Landry replied.

"Let them spend a few days together, have their happy reunion. Tyra'll never leave you, Landry, not completely. If there's one thing you can say about Tyra Collette, it's that she's faithful. She came back to Riggins after all these years, didn't she?"

Smash smiled, but he wasn't sure if he was making things worse or better for Landry. But then, Tyra and Tim were going to happen whether Landry was okay with it or not. All Smash could do was try to be a friend.

* * *

Jason wheeled into the kitchen where Lyla was setting out the glasses for juice. She looked up and smiled at him.

"Hey, can I steal you away from your assigned duties for a minute?" he asked.

"Sure," she responded. "Although, I am trying to make a good impression on your mom."

"Oh, she likes you, all right," he replied, winking at her. "C'mere…"

She followed him into the living room. The sound of voices from the backyard could be faintly heard in the background.

"You said some important things this morning," Jason began.

Lyla sat down on the edge of the coffee table so that she was at eye level with Jason. Where was he going with this?

"Ten years ago, I was confused about everything in my life and not sure if anything would ever feel normal again. And slowly, over the years things have gotten back to normal—or at least what feels like normal for me now, but one thing has never felt quite right."

"Jason…" she began. Maybe she had pushed him too much with her demands for a Plan.

"No, let me finish, Lyla. That night in high school, I told you that I loved you from the minute I laid eyes on you and it was true when I said it then and it's true now.

"No matter what's happened, I have always loved you and there was part of me that thought that it might not be possible for us to share that love…"

"No, Jason…"

"Shhh. Lyla, I don't think that anymore. When I look into the future and dream about where my life might go, I know one thing—I want you to be a part of that life."

Jason pulled the small box from where he had tucked it along his leg. He reached out and took Lyla's hand. "I want to share my life with you and I want to be your husband. I want to love you and hold you in my arms and wake up next to you every day. I want to share the heartbreak and the joy with you as my partner. Lyla Garrity…will you marry me?"

Tears sprung to Lyla's eyes. She watched as Jason fumbled with the box as he tried to open it, but the hinge held tight. She reached out, her hands resting atop his. Smiling through her tears, she slowly opened the box and looked down at the ring.

"Ohmigod, Jason." She couldn't believe it. Even though it had happened before, this time felt so much more real. This time felt certain.

"Is that a yes?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yes, Jason, yes!" She leaned forward to kiss him, smiling all the while. Sitting back, she reached out for the ring. She was surprised when Jason stopped her.

"No wait," he said as he carefully took the small ring from the box, balancing it in the grip between his finger and thumb. With smooth precision, he slid it onto her left ring finger.

She looked down at the beautiful, simple ring. It was…it was simply unbelievable, but at the same time felt like the most right thing that had ever happened.

"Your mom gave it to me."

Lyla looked down at the ring, stunned. This wasn't her mother's engagement ring. She'd never seen it before.

"It was her grandmother's."

Lyla looked up at him, her tears spilling over onto her cheeks. She could see that he was crying as well.

"I love you, Jason," she said and meant every word of it. She leaned in and kissed him.

"I didn't want to put you on the spot with everyone here…" he began.

Lyla stood up, brushing the tears away from her face. "But we have to go tell them!" She held out her hand and he took it in his.

He looked at their joined hands and laughed. "Sorry, I'm going to need that back!"

She laughed as well and released his hand, resting her hand on his shoulder instead. Jason slid his hands onto the wheels of this chair and pushed toward the dining room. She stepped past him and pushed open the sliding glass door, then waited as Jason headed onto the patio ahead of her.

It was almost as if their friends knew what had happened as everyone assembled stopped talking and turned to face them.

"Well, I guess we have an announcement!" Jason stated.

Lyla watched as her mom smiled at her and Jason's dad slid his arm around his mom.

"I just asked Lyla to marry me and she accepted!"

Everyone began to clap and cheer.

"About damned time," Coach Taylor said as he crossed over to shake Jason's hand.

"Oh, honey, I'm so happy!" Tami said as she pulled Lyla into an embrace. "I'm so, so happy for you!"

Lyla could not take the smile off her face as she accepted hugs from Tyra and Julie. She watched as Tim leaned over and gave Jason a hug as well.

Then Tim turned and stared at her for a moment. He leaned in and hugged her tightly. "I'm still calling you Garrity, you know."

Lyla laughed and gave Tim and quick kiss on the cheek. There was a lot of history there, and she was glad to call him a friend now.

She turned as her mother stepped up and touched her lightly on the arm. "You're going to have a good life, honey," her mom said as she hugged her tightly.

"Thanks, Mom," she responded. "And thanks for the ring—it just means so much."

Her mom turned to congratulate Jason as Joanne came up and embraced her. "I always wanted a daughter and I couldn't think of a better one than you."

"We both feel that way," Mitch said as he took his turn hugging her. "And you make Jason so happy."

Lyla turned and watched as Jason smiled and hugged each person in turn. She had begun to give up hope that she would ever feel like this—that she could ever feel so certain that she had made the best decision of her life. But there was no question now. She loved Jason and she would spend the rest of her life with him.

* * *

Jason hugged Lyla to him and looked out over his parent's backyard crowded with people. Coach and Mrs. Taylor were talking with Landry. Matt was throwing a ball with Billy and Jake. Julie was laughing and chatting with Tyra and Jason's mom.

"You want something to drink?" Lyla asked, bending down to kiss him. She hadn't stopped kissing him since he'd proposed. He could get used to this.

"Sure, thanks," he replied, returning her kiss.

As Lyla slipped into the house, Tim walked onto the patio and stood next to Jason's wheelchair.

"You serious about it this time?" Tim asked.

Jason laughed and nodded. "Pretty sure, yeah. And I was serious about that best man stuff. You gotta suit up, Timmy."

Tim smiled. "Only for you, Six."

Eric interrupted them as he and Tami approached the pair. "Congratulations again, son. Real good to see you this weekend."

"You too, Coach."

"Tim," Eric said, holding out his hand to Tim. "You be good to that boy, you hear?"

"Yes sir," Tim said.

Eric grinned as he held Tami's hand and walked away.

"Don't be a stranger!" Tami called as she stepped off the patio.

Matt and Julie followed behind, pausing near Jason and Tim for a moment.

"Good to see you, man," Matt said as he bumped fists with Jason.

"Take it easy, Saracen," Jason advised as Matt wrapped his arm around Julie's shoulder.

"Tim," Julie said. "You let me know if you got any hot dates coming up. I'll get you a great outfit." She grinned as she teased Tim.

Jason looked up at his friend. Tim was actually blushing. Jason laughed and waved as Matt and Julie left. They looked so good together, Jason really hoped they could work through what had happened and find happiness again.

"Let's go, Jake," Landry called, drawing Jason's attention away from Matt and Julie.

"If you can catch me first," Jake called, ducking away from Landry. Jason smiled as he watched him. So much like Tim.

Tyra was at Tim's side, her hand resting on Tim's arm. Jason looked over at them. It was obvious that time hadn't worked against them. Sure, Tim had lost a lot of time with Jake, but he and Tyra looked like they were picking up right where they left off.

Jason was glad. Tim deserved to be happy, to have a family.

"So, we'll go grab our stuff at Landry's…" Tyra explained.

"You want me to come over and pick you up?" Tim asked.

"No, let him bring us over. We need to…we need to be sensitive. He's adjusting to this new thing, too," Tyra said.

"Sure," Tim answered.

"Jake," Tyra called. "Come say thank you to Mr. Street."

Jake dutifully walked up and stood between his mother and father. "You got hurt playing football, didn't you?" he asked.

Jason smiled, more at the shocked look on Tyra's face than Jake's question.

"Yeah, yeah I did."

"I'm not going to get hurt," Jake responded.

"Well I hope not. You remember to keep your head up and watch the plays and you'll do fine." Jason glanced up at Tim who was looking down at Jake. "And you listen to what your Dad tells you. He was a great football player."

Tim looked at Jay, his face blank.

"I know. My Mom says he was the best."

"He really was," Jason echoed, smiling at Tim.

"Okay, let's go see Grandma and Grandpa Clarke and then we'll see your Dad later," Tyra said, tugging on Jake's arm. "Bye!" she called over her shoulder to Jason.

"So, she's staying?" Jason asked as Tim eased himself down on the patio next to Jason's chair.

"Yep."

"Huh." Jason laughed. "Did you have a clue this would all happen?"

"That Tyra would show up with my son and I'd have an instant family?"

Jason shrugged. "Yeah, maybe not that one, but you with Tyra…me with Lyla. Do we lack imagination?"

"Hey, Smash is gay," Tim responded with a chuckle. "And remember, I called that one first."

"Oh I remember, Timmy. Very astute."

Jason laughed and looked up as Lyla came out of the house with two glasses. She handed a glass to him and Tim and then headed over to where Jason's mom was clearing away some plates.

Tim took a drink and looked up at Jay. "Nah, we don't lack imagination, Street. We're just damned lucky."

Jason looked down at his friend, Tim's hand resting on the leg that he had nearly lost. He reached over with his hand, tightened from years of paralysis and spasm and rested it on Tim's shoulder.

"Damned lucky."

_/tbc/_


	13. Epilogue

Reunion

**Reunion  
Epilogue**

"I'll call you when I get home," Landry said.

Tyra opened her mouth to speak.

"And I won't forget to water the plants," he added, grinning.

She smiled and leaned in to hug him. "Thanks," she whispered in his ear.

"For what? For letting you stay here to have hot sex all week?"

"Landry!" She slapped him lightly on the shoulder.

Landry smiled and looked over at where Tim was bent down, talking to Jake. If he had things his way, Jake and Tyra would be in the car with him and Tim could come visit them if he wanted to. Instead Landry was going home alone and even though Tyra would follow in a few days, he knew it was just the beginning of a new life for them.

He couldn't compete with Jake's Dad. And honestly, he didn't want to.

Walking over to Jake and Tim, Landry bent down and pulled a small package out of his back pocket.

"I heard you had access to a new game system," he said, handing Jake the new game he'd bought that afternoon.

Jake looked at the game and beamed. He threw his arms around Landry's neck and clung on tightly. "Thank you. This rocks!"

Landry smiled and sat back on his heels as Jake turned to show Tim the game. It was easy to feel pushed aside, but he had to choose to keep himself in the picture. He had to trust that Jake still wanted him around. That was all he could do.

He stood back up and Tim did the same. Holding his hand out to Tim, he painted a smile on his face. "Maybe we'll see you in Nashville soon." Landry shook Tim's hand.

"Yeah, maybe," Tim said.

Landry was at a loss for words. "I can get you tickets to a show or something," he said lamely.

"Your music still all guitars and screaming?" Tim smiled that same slow grin he always kept for when he was teasing his friends.

Landry pushed his tongue into his cheek and looked away, grinning. "More guitars, less screaming. I think you'll like it."

Stepping away, Landry ruffled Jake's hair, and said, "You listen to your momma, okay?"

"Of course," Jake replied, rolling his eyes.

Turning to Tyra, he hugged her one more time and stepped back quickly before he could rethink his decision. It was only Sunday afternoon; he wasn't supposed to leave until the next morning, but he'd spent enough time in Dillon for one weekend. It was time to get back to reality. And spend some much needed alone time on Highway 20.

"Later," Landry called as he got into his car and started it. He pulled away and adjusted his rear view mirror so he could see Jake. Tyra was standing close to Tim and they were both smiling at their son. Landry grabbed his sunglasses and pushed them close to his eyes. He had a lot of thinking to do, and miles of highway stretching out in front of him. By the time he got home, he'd be right with this. He had to be.

* * *

"Are you sure you can't stay a couple more days? Until things die down?"

Smash looked at his mother and smiled. "The team wants me back in New York—something about controlling the story. I don't think they're very happy that I did this on my own and my agent is going to kill me."

"Well you give that agent of yours my number if he tries anything like that."

Smash's mother smiled at him and Smash nodded, filled with pride just to be her son.

"I'm proud of you, you know that," Mrs. Williams said.

"Thanks, Momma."

"And just remember, that being true to yourself is the most important thing you can do no matter what anyone else tells you."

Smash hugged her one more time, then headed toward the waiting cab. As the car pulled away, he looked back at his mom standing there. No matter where he went or how long he was gone, this would always be home.

* * *

"Oh honey, I'm going to miss you so much," Tami said as she hugged Julie tightly.

"Do you really have to leave tonight?" Julie asked.

"Yeah, we should. I've got a meeting tomorrow afternoon," her father replied. "If we don't hit traffic, we should get halfway tonight and make it home by mid-morning."

"Thanks for coming," Julie said.

Tami smiled at her. Her daughter looked so tired and sad. It was hard to leave her here like this. She looked over at her husband and Matt talking by the tailgate.

"It's going to be okay, honey," she said as she ran her hand down Julie's long hair. "You and Matt have something very special. This is not the end of you."

Tami had to force herself to smile past the uncertainty on Julie's face. All she could do was hope they would be okay. And be there to help if Julie wanted it.

"Good to see you, Matt," Eric said, shaking his former quarterback's hand.

"You're welcome down here anytime, you know," Matt said.

Tami smiled and pulled him into a hug as well. He was like the son they'd never been able to have and it meant so much to her. She couldn't imagine her only child spending her life with someone who wasn't such a part of their family. "You take care of yourself, Matt and call us if you need anything."

"Yes, ma'am," he responded.

"Okay, let's hit the road Mrs. Coach," Eric said as he closed the tailgate and headed for the driver's door.

Tami hugged Julie one more time and got in the truck.

She didn't stop waving until they turned the corner and she couldn't see Matt and Julie standing at the end of the driveway any longer.

* * *

Matt watched as the truck disappeared around the corner. "You want to order some pizza?" he asked as they turned to walk into the house.

"Uh, yeah," Julie responded.

He looked over at her. It had been a long weekend with lots of things to think about. He knew he loved her. He just wasn't sure he trusted her right now.

"I'm sorry this all happened this weekend," Julie said as she paused in front of the door. "I know I should have told you and I hope you'll forgive me."

Matt nodded and slipped his arm around her. "We'll figure it out, Julie."

* * *

"So, I'll be coming back in two or three weeks," Lyla said as she got out of the back seat of the Streets' car.

"Hey, wait," Jason said as his dad got out and pulled Jason's wheelchair from the trunk.

"Jason, you don't need to…" She stopped as Mr. Street pulled Jason's suitcase from the trunk as well.

"Do you think we'll have enough pull to get seats together on the plane?" he asked, smiling at her.

"Jason Street…"

"I'm not letting my fiancée loose in New York just yet," he said as he wheeled up next to her.

"The elevator has been making some creaking noises," she teased.

"Bring it on, Garrity," he replied.

They paused to hug his parents, then headed into the airport, her hand resting on his shoulder—just like it should have been all along.

* * *

"Are you sure this is okay?" Tyra asked as she laid her suitcase on the floor.

"Yeah," Tim replied. "You and Jake can have Billy's room. He sleeps in the living room most nights anyway."

Tim had tried to explain to Billy who Jake was, what it meant to have a nephew, but he wasn't sure how much Billy understood. He did seem happy to have Jake stay for a few more days, so at least they'd entertain one another.

"You know, did you ever think about Billy living somewhere else?" Tyra asked.

Tim narrowed his eyes. "What, like a home?" He hated these questions. People always thought they had the answers for Billy. But Tim knew what was best for his own brother, and it wasn't living with strangers.

"Tim, I didn't mean…"

Tim dropped his head and took a deep breath. She looked genuinely concerned. It was just the way her words sounded.

"I thought about it," Tim replied. "But, honestly, do you think he'd be happier somewhere else?"

"No," Tyra said, staring at him with clear eyes. "But would you be happier?" She reached out and took his hand, fingering his skin with her thumb.

Smiling sadly, he flipped her hand over and laced his fingers with hers. They'd revealed a lot to each other this weekend, but they hadn't talked about the accident. He hadn't told anyone except Jason and Lyla.

"Come here," he said quietly, tugging her towards the bed.

She took a seat beside him, her hand still intertwined with his.

"I have to tell you something," he said.

He told her everything. About being drunk and driving, then admitting it to Jason and choosing to keep it all a secret. He told her about the months following the accident, about his frustration with his own progress, and even how angry he'd been at her. Then the first few months when Billy had come home. When Tim had to do everything for his brother and there was no one to help. Not even someone to call and ask if he was okay.

He tried not to look at her while he spoke, but he knew she was crying. A tear dripped off her chin and fell onto their hands clasped together on Tyra's lap. When he was finished, he kept his head down, staring at their fingers joined together, wondering if he'd ruined their chances before they'd even started.

Softly, Tyra's free hand brushed against his cheek. Tipping his head, he stared into her watery eyes.

"Thank you," she said softly.

He questioned her silently. Thank you for what?

She shrugged and squeezed his hand a little tighter. "For trusting me and forgiving me and letting me be a part of your life again. I really want to be a part of your life."

Tim smiled and removed his hand from hers so he could wrap his arm around her shoulder. Pulling her close, he laid his chin atop her head.

Her voice was little more than a whisper, but he heard her clearly in the quiet room.

"I love you."

Closing his eyes, he let her words wash over him. She loved him. Again, still…did it even matter?

He pulled her closer to his body. "I love you, too."

_/fin/_

* * *

**Author's Notes**: Well that's it! This has been a great ride, and a tremendously satisfying experience for us. The story topped out at just over 53,000 words—more than that required for a novel. It's made us realize that writing a novel is possible, and along with your great encouragement and feedback, that's the best thing we could take away from this experience.

Thanks, as always, to our beta **devilc**. The ideas for a sequel are spinning wildly so stay tuned!


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